“Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Mean?
Paul beseeches the Thessalonians to walk in a way that pleases God — and then adds: as ye do, so ye would abound more and more. They are already doing it. Paul wants them to do it increasingly.
The word "abound" (perisseuo) means to overflow, to exceed, to have more than enough. The Christian life is not about reaching a plateau and maintaining. It is about constant growth — always more.
"How ye ought to walk and to please God" — the walk is described in moral terms throughout the passage that follows. Sanctification, sexual purity, brotherly love, honest work. The pleasing of God is expressed through daily, embodied choices.
"As ye have received of us" — the instructions are not new. They were taught from the beginning. Paul is reminding, not innovating. The walk that pleases God is the walk they already know. They just need to abound in it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where have you plateaued spiritually — coasting on current levels rather than growing?
- 2.What does 'abound more and more' look like practically this week?
- 3.How is 'walking to please God' different from performing for religious approval?
- 4.What area of your life is God inviting you to grow in right now?
Devotional
As ye do, so ye would abound more and more. You are already doing it. Paul acknowledges that. But the invitation is not to coast on current obedience. It is to grow — to abound more and more.
The Christian life does not have a finish line this side of heaven. There is no point where you can say: I have arrived. I have grown enough. The invitation is always: more. Not more performance. More love. More faithfulness. More resemblance to Christ.
How ye ought to walk and to please God. Walking implies daily, ongoing motion. Pleasing God is the goal — not impressing people, not meeting a standard, not checking boxes. Pleasing the one who sees your heart.
More and more. That phrase is the entire trajectory. Not a dramatic leap. Gradual, steady, incremental growth. A little more love than yesterday. A little more purity. A little more faithfulness. Not perfection. Progress.
Where are you growing? And where have you plateaued, settling for current levels when God is inviting you to abound?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture