Many times I have encouraged myself against sleeping by saying to myself, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest.”

When I was looking at the different translations of 1 Thessalonians 1:3, one stood out for being different, the Berean Literal Bible. It attached the “unceasing” part to love instead of to their prayers: “remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and unceasing labor of love, and the endurance of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Praying without ceasing doesn’t mean we can’t ever come up for air, but we’re to continue in prayer. We’re to never stop, never give up, and we’re to always be praying over all things.

This translation though, attaches the unceasing to love. We’re to never stop loving. And we can do that because of the endurance that the hope-that-does-not-disappoint gives us, through faith.