1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (NRSV)
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Verse 2We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly Verse 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, Verse 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.
Verse 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, Verse 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. Verse 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. Verse 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, Verse 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
Devotion
It’s humbling to ponder the fact that I’m an example to others. And so are we all. For better or worse, we are examples to spouse, children, grandchildren, fellow workers, schoolmates, friends, neighbors – all witness our words and behaviors.
In their letter, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy express gratitude for the believers in Thessalonica for modeling faith in love and service and for exhibiting resolute hope in Christ. They even go so far as to take some credit for this, saying, “You became imitators of us …” I guess a little healthy pride is OK, since they also add “and of the Lord … inspired by the Holy Spirit.” Then follows an important “so that:” The Christian example encourages other believers, particularly those who are struggling in a world full of idols. Today's idols may look a little different than those of Paul's day, but the need for faithful role models is no less great.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, use us to spread the good news of the love and hope found only in our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to be worthy imitators of him, so that others are encouraged in the faith. May all people come to serve the living and true God. Amen.