remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.
and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ: The third praiseworthy attribute of the Thessalonians is "patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." Patience is not a passive resignation to whatever our lot may be. It is rather an active effort to make the best out of a bad situation. It is constancy in the midst of life’s vicissitudes; steadfastness in the face of life’s harsh realities. When battles with evil rage about us and the storms of life sweep over us, the patience of hope enables us to say, "I shall not be moved." It serves as an "anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19). The ability to endure the persecution at Thessalonica derives from hope, but not just hope generally. It is "hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." Hope involves two elements--expectation and desire. It would be a misuse of the term to label as hope a thing expected but not desired or desired but not expected. The Christian’s desire and expectation converge in the promise of the Lord’s return and all that will accompany that grand event (4:13-18). As the apostle notes here, the only real hope in this world is that enjoyed by those who are "in Christ."