9-7-07 1 Thessalonians 4:1

1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NAS)
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 (Philips)
To sum up, my brothers, we beg and pray you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have learned from us the way of life that pleases God, you may continue in it, as indeed you are doing, and deepen your experience of it.

No one could doubt your faithfulness in answering the call and summons of the Lord. Because you have received comfort, consolation, and encouragement, you are now able to give the same to others. You are capable of exhorting, instructing, and teaching those whom you meet.
You have discovered what is right and proper in your walk with your Lord. You have learned how to conduct and regulate your life according to Adonai's will. You always strive to please Jesus, accommodating yourself to His desires and interests. He has elevated and lifted you up. You have successfully encountered and thwarted the perils and persecutions that Satan has thrown against you. All that he has done to prevent you from preaching the gospel has come to naught.
The Lord God has promised you life and that more abundantly. Now you strive for that abundance. You purpose to continue doing what you have been doing and to excel in it. As a flower that begins as a bud and progresses to the full bloom, so too will your life progress to everything that God has ordained for you.