February 27

and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Thess 1:3 BSB

Just as air and exercise are essential for physical health, so too are they essential for spiritual health. The graces of the Spirit need to be frequently exercised and refreshed by the breath of heaven to remain healthy. Like physical muscles that grow stronger through use, the spiritual graces grow stronger by use and exercise. Faith gains strength by working diligently, hope grows by enduring trials, and love increases by laboring through difficulties. All of these become more active, healthy, and vigorous through exercise.

A false faith sleeps all day in the sluggard’s chair. A hypocrite’s hope endures nothing for Christ’s sake. A love that is only spoken but never labors for its beloved is empty. Examine yourself in the light of your experience. Do you find not only faith but its work? Not only hope but its patience? Not only love but its labor? The apostle Paul remembered the Thessalonians’ work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. His focus wasn’t just on their Christian graces, but on how they exercised them. He saw their faith working diligently, their hope enduring patiently, and their love laboring tirelessly for the glory of God and the good of His people, and this gave him confidence that these were true graces of the Spirit.