Over the last week, school has started back. Fast forward a few weeks, and report cards will be coming home. Back when I was in school, every nine weeks the teachers would send home a sheet of paper with grades for every class. That report card told my parents exactly how I was doing. Imagine, for just a moment, that God handed you a spiritual report card today. What would it say? What if God gave a report card not only to us as individuals but also to our congregation? What grades would appear?
In 1 Thessalonians 3:6–8, we find something very similar. Paul had been forced to leave the young church in Thessalonica before he wanted to. Concerned about their spiritual condition, he sent Timothy back to strengthen them and to learn how they were doing. When Timothy returned, he essentially brought back a spiritual report card. He reported to Paul how they were doing. As we examine that report, three areas stand out: faith, love, and steadfastness.
Timothy returned with good news concerning the Thessalonians’ faith. Paul had worried about this young congregation because they were enduring persecution and hardship. Yet, despite everything they faced, they remained faithful. The Thessalonians believed God’s promises, trusted God’s character, and obeyed God’s commands even when following Christ came with a price. What’s remarkable is that their faith brought comfort to Paul in the midst of his own suffering. Paul himself was experiencing distress and affliction, yet hearing about their faith encouraged him tremendously. At the same time, their faith was not perfect. Later in the chapter, Paul says that he longed to see them so that he could supply what was lacking in their faith (v. 10). They still had room to grow. What if God gave a report card to us grading our faith? What would it say?
Timothy also brought good news about the Thessalonians’ love. Love is the defining characteristic of the Christian life. Too often, we think of love as merely an emotion. While emotions are certainly involved, biblical love is also action. Earlier in the letter, Paul spoke of the Thessalonians’ “labor of love” (1:3). Their actions flowed from their hearts. First, they loved God (Matthew 22:37), their fellow believers (2:3; John 13:34–35), their neighbors (Matthew 22:39), and even their enemies (Matthew 5:44). In a city where persecution was common, obeying Jesus’ command to love those who opposed them was no small task (Matthew 5:44). What if God gave a report card to us grading our love? What would it say?
The final category on the Thessalonians’ report card was steadfastness. Paul says that they were “standing fast in the Lord.” The phrase means to remain firm, to persevere, and to endure despite opposition. The Thessalonians had planted both feet in Jesus, and they were not moving. Persecution had not shaken them. Difficulty had not caused them to quit. They were holding tightly to Christ. Paul was overwhelmed with joy when he heard this report. He essentially says, “Now that we know you are standing firm in the Lord, we can breathe again.” They realized that the Christian life is not a sprint; it is a marathon. There were obstacles, disappointments, hardships, and moments when giving up seemed easier than pressing on. Yet they continued to remain steadfast. What if God gave to us a report card grading our steadfastness? What would it say?
If God handed us a spiritual report card today, what would it say about our faith, our love, and our steadfastness? While that thought is important, there is something even more important to remember. Ultimately, our final grade is not based solely on what we have done but on what Christ has done for us. Left to ourselves, every one of us would fail. We all fall short. We all struggle. But through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, grace is available. That does not remove our responsibility to believe, love, and persevere. It simply reminds us that our hope is not in our perfection but in His.
–Tyler Alverson
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