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
I live in a town where word gets out fast. When you know that people talk, it makes you think twice about what you do, say, and how you act. Being different involves taking a risk because people will more than likely talk about you in ways over which you often don’t have control. Somehow this is a natural aspect of communal human living through which accountability is created.
In the letter to the church in Thessalonica, the congregation is told that word has gotten out beyond their own community to surrounding areas that their lives have been changed dramatically by the gospel of Jesus Christ. By being imitators of those who shared the gospel with them, the Thessalonians chose to be different from others around them. When we choose to be different for the sake of the gospel, word gets around and the Holy Spirit catches a ride.
Prayer
Gracious God, let the Holy Spirit catch a ride on my life, bringing witness to your love and grace in the world. Amen.