Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:1 

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God.” 

In this verse, Paul keep it simple and gets straight to the point. He is urging and exhorting that the Thessalonian Christians to abound more and more in their Christian walk. To truly appreciate the beauty of Paul’s exhortation we must ensure we understand the meaning of the word abound. The word abound literally means to overflow. One picture to help us understand this word is to picture a glass of water that someone keeps adding water to. Eventually that glass will overflow resulting in water running down the sides of the cup and getting all over the floor. This is likely the picture that is in Paul’s mind when he uses this word. He is exhorting the Thessalonians to live in such a way that their life is overflowing with Christlike behavior. This is also a good word for us today. We need to have a life that is overflowing with Christlike character. A life like this will be a life that is full of forgiveness, love, and grace. This type of life style should be something that we desire. Why should we desires this lifestyle? 

Paul tells us that this lifestyle is pleasing to God. When we choose to live a life that is overflowing with Christ’s character, we please God. So I want to challenge you this morning to make a conscious decision to live a life that is overflowing with Jesus! This brings glory to God!