Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,
WEEK 41
BEING IMITATORS OF THE LORD
1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-10
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised
from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
FATHER, may our lives and our fellowship be marked by
works of faith, labors of love, and steadfastness of hope. By Your grace, we are holy people, beloved and chosen by You,
and when the gospel came to us, it came not only in word but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves
to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from You.1
You are the one who accomplished our salvation,
turning us from worldly things we once idolized
to serve You, the living and true God. You are the One who awakened us to receive Your Word—
not as the word of men but for what it really is: the Word of God, which performs its perfect work
in all who believe.2
So our salvation comes solely from You. You sent Your Son to die for our sake
while we were still sworn enemies of righteousness.3
You graciously removed the scales from our eyes and drew us to faith. Open our eyes to see more of Your truth;
open our hearts to believe it more earnestly; and open our mouths to declare it more faithfully.
May we be imitators of our Lord Jesus Christ
and godly examples to one another. Help us grow into full maturity and Christlikeness. We know that the necessary nourishment
for that kind of growth is found only in Your Word.4
We cannot thrive by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds out of Your mouth.5
May we therefore search the Scriptures
diligently and with singleness of heart, for in them we know we have eternal life.6
They point us to Christ. They unveil His glory. They reflect His holy character. From them we learn of His suffering, death, resurrection, ascension,
intercession, and glorious return. By them You speak to us from heaven. In them we hear the voice of the Spirit speaking plainly.
Give us attentive hearts. Cause us to hear Your truth with all humility and obedience. Open our eyes to see with clarity,
and open our ears to hear with understanding. May we heed every line with fear and trembling—
not only the instructions, but also the reproofs; not only the promises, but also the threats.
We bless You that Your holy Word has been translated
into our own language to show us the way of life. May we never take that privilege for granted. May we never neglect
the rich counsel available to us on those pages. May we drink deeply of its truth
and feed our famished souls with its nourishment.
And may our hearts, like the hearts of those on the road to Emmaus,
burn within us as You teach us.7
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
1. 2 Corinthians 3:5 2. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 3. Romans 5:8 4. 1 Peter 2:2 5. Matthew 4:4 6. John 5:39 7. Luke 24:13-35