We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

In Paul’s final words to the Thessalonian believers about Jesus, they are told to encourage one another, build each other up, comfort the disheartened, strengthen the weak, and be patient with everyone.  

Let me share with you a story that exemplifies the above. During a heated game between two local high school soccer teams, the Eagles and the Pioneers, The Eagles kicked the ball into the goal.  The ball went into the net but exited out the back through a hole. The referee didn’t see the ball enter the net, and seeing the ball outside the net, he ruled it was not a score. The Pioneers’ coach saw the goal and voluntarily confirmed the Eagles coach’s claim even though he could have remained silent. The referee counted the goal. The Pioneers lost the game 3-2.

Doing good for a rival or competitor may mean speaking up. For example, a coworker’s effort to complete a sale for you even though she might get a bigger bonus than you. Doing good could also mean raking the neighbor’s leaves; even if it’s likely there might not be a thank you. As we try to do good toward others, we demonstrate that God’s love extends to everyone.

It’s easy to speak up when it’s to our benefit. The Bible encourages believers in Jesus to always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else (1 Thessalonians 5:15).  

Going beyond our normal inclination to do good for our friends, the difficult aspect of the command is working to do good even for our rivals, without benefiting from our actions or “expecting something back in return” (Luke 6:35) 

The church is a forgiven community, and a forgiven person is a forgiving person. As you have the opportunity, strive to do good to all people, for each person and community is pleasing to God. 

Take a moment to focus on Jesus. Instead of beating others down in conquest, He lifted up the most despised in His society with tender care. Instead of the cross being His moment of defeat, it represents His greatest victory. By suffering injustice, Jesus came to roll out justice like this world has never seen before. Be encouraged by what Jesus has done for you and build others up with that same encouragement. Praise be to God!