1 Thessalonians 4

Paul commended the Thessalonians for their walk with the Lord, but told them that they still had room to grow. He encouraged them to love not only the members of the body of Christ, but to work hard to ensure that they were self-sufficient and to have good relations with the nonbelievers among them.

No matter how far Christ has brought us in this life, there is still further to go. None of us will ever reach perfection, yet that is still the goal. By allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our lives from the inside out, we can become more like Him every day. We learn to love those in the church through God's eyes so we can take that love to a lost world. Through that love, we minister to those around us - within the church and outside the church. This is how we reflect the love God has shown each of us.