“Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).
Yesterday we briefly thought of the word “persist.” I used that pesky squirrel never giving up on the bird seed in my “squirrel proof” feeder to illustrate the word. Continuing that thought for just a moment or two, let me share a little outline of these two verses and then we will zero in on a particular word.
1. This is personal, “Our Lord Jesus…God, even our Father” (2:16a).
2. This is precious, “Loved us…” (2:16b).
3. This is promising, “Given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace” (2:16c).
4. This is powerful, “Comfort your hearts” (2:17a).
5. This is practical, “Stablish you in every good word and work” (2:17b).
As we think of the word “persist,” consider also the word “stablish” which means “to make stable, place firmly, render constant and confirm.” Here’s how this impacts me. The Lord loves His people and wants to work in our lives, helping us to be persistent through Him.
For today: The Lord is absolutely amazing, isn’t He?