Rescued from Wrath

Partners in a New Creation God Offers Deliverance God's Restored People Shall Prosper Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)    1 Thessalonians 1:6-10The Message Convictions of Steel 2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night, you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. 5-6 You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble. 7-10 Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia, believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom. For Reflection The Thessalonians who committed themselves to the Jesus Movement accepted the message quickly. They were imitating Paul. As a consequence of this acceptance, the Thessalonians themselves have become an example to other Jesus-believers, not only locally but also in other places. The Gospel Message became faith in action. Paul and his colleagues did not simply talk about the Gospel. They lived it. They lived it to the degree that when the new believers wanted to know how to live, they imitated the messengers. Pray Pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you to become an example of love, hope, and kindness. Pray and let your actions mirror your belief in the Way of Christ. Forward to a friend Sign up for our mailing list!