1 Thessalonians 1
1Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.[b]
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith
2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
[a] 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
[b] 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Some early manuscripts you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
4 comments:
1 Thes 1 (NLT)
Morning fellas.
This should be the way we think of each other and a pretty high standard the live up to.
2We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe our pastor once said all he wanted is that when it was time for him to go home to be with the Father, that they would be able to write on his headstone that he was a "fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ." Me too. I want to hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant."
Father, lift these men up today. Help them all to start this week with eyes focused on you and minds that follow. May all that we do this week bring you honor and glory and may we fill our week with faithful work, loving deeds, and be in continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Christ,
cas
Morning my brothers in christ,
I must confess (to much drinking) that this weekend I did not live up to the standards of the thessalonians and pray that God gives me strength to always represent him and that people know by my actions and not always my words that I am a follower of christ.
NLT (6) So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. (7) As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece.[c] 8And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, (9) for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God.
Lord, I come to you giving you all the thanks for the blessings that you have bestowed upon me and ask that you continue to watch over my christians brothers and myself. Give us the desire to live our lives in love with you.
Amen,
LT
1 Thes 1:
6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
I agree with cas that we should live up to these standards, welcoming, believing, and living the message that God brings with true joy, even when that message is to do something that isn't in our nature, or at least isn't in our present nature.
Father, I also ask that you give these men and myself the strength to grow in our relationships with you and our relationships with each other this week. Let us not only read Your word, contemplate it, and share it, but also act upon it. Let Your word and this group continue to be life-changing. Father, I lift up timmcd6 and his fiancee, Sheree, jws, Steve & Beth (whose father passed away on Saturday), my wife, and these men. Let them feel your all-encompassing love this week. In Jesus' name,
Amen
crb
Wow, I don't think there could be a higher commendation given by Paul than to these believers. In so many arenas they shone brightly. As you all mentioned, it is hard to live up to the example of them, yet in Christ it is possible. Verse 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. is such a challenge to me...the mixing of JOY and SUFFERING. It reminds me of how Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. mixes JOY and the CROSS.
cas, it would be a great day to here "Well done" from God. For the Thessalonians, the reception of the Gospel brought about a tremendous change...a compelling change to those who witnessed it. I wonder if I am continuing to make strides that are visible in my walk with Christ or if I am barely making any progress/maturing growth.
God, thank you for these men. I pray that you would place a steadfast spirit within each of them, so that they would honor you with their time, talents, and treasures. Lead on, oh King Eternal.
In Christ's Name,
er
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