How to become worthy of something of surpassing worth

 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 11

5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering –

11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage is about suffering in light of the coming Judgment.  That is the central topic and what this passage is about.  But in these two verses we see a hint at something. 

There are little bits in here about being worthy.  These words stick out to us, because we know that “none is good, no not one,” but look here.  Prayers for people to be worthy.  Worthy of his Kingdom and worthy of his calling.  How could we be worthy of such things?

The ultimate answer is in verse 11: God makes us worthy.  That God has to be the one to do the work and to change us.  That we cannot do this ourselves, but that we need his power at work in us. 

But I would like to give a more applicable reason for our worth.  In the kingdom of Heaven, our worth is connected to God’s glory.  Look at verse 12.  That the name of Jesus may be glorified in you.  Let me offer here a caveat and an encouragement.

We do not, in an ultimate sense, glorify God.  His glory is intact and unchanging and above all.  So what does this verse mean?   It means that we act as conduits of his glory.  That we reflect out to this earth and world the glory of our God.  That we show him to be glorious.  We do not produce his glory, but we share it and expose it to an estranged world.  Or rather, he does through us.

So what do we do with this?  We apply it.  We yield our lives to his Gospel and to his glory and we seek to magnify his name.  Give yourself up to the Gospel.  Turn yourself over to it.  Let it permeate and consume.  Let this Gospel take you, and let it lead to the praise of God’s glory.