Today we close our study of 1st Thessalonians by reflecting on the last verse of the book, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
The book started in 1:1 with the blessing, “Grace and peace to you.” The Christian experience begins and ends with grace. Everything in between the beginning and end of our Christian life is all of grace as well. Paul declared as his testimony in 1st Corinthians 15:10, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
We have studied all the things Paul shared in this letter to the Thessalonians. There were a lot of instructions on how they should live. If they were going to please God and make an impact on the society around them they would have to help and encourage each other. There were precepts and promises they were to remember and believe if they wanted to live victoriously. But we must always remember that apart from the grace of God all of these instructions and provisions are not enough.
We need His grace to obey His instruction and appropriate His promises and provisions. Fortunately, Paul affirms in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Notice the repeated word “all” in this verse.
God will never short change you if you trust in Him and obey Him. By His all sufficient grace you will be able to “abound in every good work.”
