As a teacher, I am encouraged to
praise students for what they do well and to target what they don’t. A
child is not ‘naughty’ or ‘good’; rather, the action they have completed is.
This descriptive praise or criticism enables students to see exactly what they
have done well (or not so well) so that they can repeat or avoid the same
action in the future.
This descriptive praise can be seen
in 1 Thessalonians 1. Throughout his letters, Paul shows the value that he
places on friendship. He frequently mentions people by name (there are 36
people in the New Testament who are named only because of their friendship with
him), and 1 Thessalonians 1 is no exception to Paul’s obvious concern for those
he loves. He describes the church as “brothers loved by God” and the opening
chapter extols the virtues of the Thessalonians, not to incite boasting or
big-headedness, but to encourage them in their walk with God.
Paul states that the trinity of
faith, hope and love, common to many books in the New Testament, can be found
in the Thessalonians. Their faith has led to action (“work produced by faith”),
their love to work (“labour prompted by love”) and their confidence in
Jesus Christ to persistence in their actions (“your endurance inspired by
hope”, all verse 4). They have been motivated by their love for Jesus, with the
result that “The Lord’s message rang out” (v8).
Paul identifies what the church is
doing well, praises them for it and encourages them in their actions. He says
that they “became a model to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (v7). A
small word of thanks or praise that takes us seconds to offer can have a
magnified result on the recipient. Take time now to consider how you might
recognise the service of someone, no matter how small, and in doing so
encourage them in their walk with God.
(member of the congregation)