Daily Bread 2011 - 1 Thessalonians 1
Daily Bread 2011 – 1 Thessalonians
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We 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. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because 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. 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. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The 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, 9 for 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, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
What Does This Mean?
Unlike some of the other churches Paul planted, most of his commentary toward the church in Thessalonica, is marked by praise to their faithfulness in hardship and example to the outside world. Apparently when Paul preached the gospel to these folks it was marked by some deeds of power and deep personal conviction regarding the things of God. This apparently added to the potency of their proclamation.
As Paul summarizes their spiritual vitality, he uses the familiar words: faith, hope and love. Faith initiated their work for God, not in the sense of earning God’s love but as a response to it. As God’s love permeated their hearts, it spilled over in their love for others so that their labor was prompted by it. And finally, their endurance through hardship was maintained by their hope in Jesus and his eventual return.
What Does This Mean For Us?
The Thessalonian church reminds us that we can be joyful, despite the circumstances going on around us. Sometimes our most powerful witness comes when things aren’t going well, and the average person would doubt if God really exists at all. In these times our faith is proven, and it can be a great example for those in the world. Many in the world think that a Christian just believes that God will only do good things for them, but the great examples of faith happen when things go wrong.
It is at this point that our faith becomes a model for others. If you are going through a hard time, another believer who has gone through something similar can be of great strength to you producing hope that you can persevere through it. We will see also in this short but powerful book, how the Thessalonians lived as though Jesus were coming back soon, which helped them to keep focused on things of eternal value.
Jesus, thank you for other believers, which are an example and encouragement to us during hard times. As we have received encouragement from you and other believers, may we also encourage someone today who might be tempted doubt that You are with them in their trial. May our witness not only come when things are going well in our lives but when we are challenged by circumstances beyond our control. Amen.
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We 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. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because 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. 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. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The 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, 9 for 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, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
What Does This Mean?
Unlike some of the other churches Paul planted, most of his commentary toward the church in Thessalonica, is marked by praise to their faithfulness in hardship and example to the outside world. Apparently when Paul preached the gospel to these folks it was marked by some deeds of power and deep personal conviction regarding the things of God. This apparently added to the potency of their proclamation.
As Paul summarizes their spiritual vitality, he uses the familiar words: faith, hope and love. Faith initiated their work for God, not in the sense of earning God’s love but as a response to it. As God’s love permeated their hearts, it spilled over in their love for others so that their labor was prompted by it. And finally, their endurance through hardship was maintained by their hope in Jesus and his eventual return.
What Does This Mean For Us?
The Thessalonian church reminds us that we can be joyful, despite the circumstances going on around us. Sometimes our most powerful witness comes when things aren’t going well, and the average person would doubt if God really exists at all. In these times our faith is proven, and it can be a great example for those in the world. Many in the world think that a Christian just believes that God will only do good things for them, but the great examples of faith happen when things go wrong.
It is at this point that our faith becomes a model for others. If you are going through a hard time, another believer who has gone through something similar can be of great strength to you producing hope that you can persevere through it. We will see also in this short but powerful book, how the Thessalonians lived as though Jesus were coming back soon, which helped them to keep focused on things of eternal value.
Jesus, thank you for other believers, which are an example and encouragement to us during hard times. As we have received encouragement from you and other believers, may we also encourage someone today who might be tempted doubt that You are with them in their trial. May our witness not only come when things are going well in our lives but when we are challenged by circumstances beyond our control. Amen.
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