A successful Christian is not one who has attained to a high level in society, but one who has advanced in evidences of God’s saving grace in his or her life. A rich Christian is not one who has a great deal of money—that may or may not be a blessing to you—but a rich Christian is one who abounds in faith, love, and hope through Jesus Christ. And as Paul remembers the evidences of salvation among the Thessalonians, we should realize that a life worth remembering for us will be one that is sketched out on the canvas of the apostle’s prayer of thanks.
One man who lived such a life was Joseph A. Maybin. He was an elder at First Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, and he died on May 4, 1876. He was a man blessed with a great intellect. He had a very high position in society. He had an eminently successful career, but he was fairly far along in his adult life when he was converted to faith in Jesus Christ. And while he kept his former life, his passion shifted to the work of the gospel—the ministry among God’s people. He became an elder—a very beloved elder—noted for pastoral ministry in that congregation. The cause of Christ and his people and his church animated his life more and more. And when he died, his preacher, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, preached at his memorial service from our text —from 1 Thessalonians 1:3. And here is what Palmer said. He said,
Should it occur to this church to set a monumental slab upon the wall of this sanctuary as a fitting memorial of one whose ministerial service dates back almost to her origin, beneath that honored name and the dates of his official career, I would have traced simply these words: Remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.Maybin’s example, with the eulogy given to his life, invites us to ask,
Richard D. PhillipsWhat words would sum up our lives as believers in Jesus Christ?And there is a good number of verses that would well adorn a memorial to any of our names. But I would say to you that if those who knew us best should choose to note our work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in Jesus Christ, then surely we will receive from Jesus those blessed words, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, and the people of God will remember our lives both with thanks to God and with a confident assurance of his saving work in our lives.1
3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.