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May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NIV)
God’s love and the patient steadfastness of Jesus is the winning combination, and is the prayer Paul desires us to pray for ourselves and others.
I like some of the aspects of this verse that are amplified in different translations:
May the Lord direct your hearts into realizing and showing the love of God and the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for His return. (AMPC)
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. (NLT)
And check out what Jesus said to the Church at Ephesus about not losing hold of their first love as they patiently endure (Revelation 2:3-4).
The agape love of our Heavenly Father
+ The patient endurance of Jesus
+ The instruction and encouragement of the Holy Spirit
= My loving endurance which is a testimony to others
You may also want to check out my posts: Learning Perseverance and Sincere Love.
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Craig T. Owens 