1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

And you all became imitators of us and of the Lord, after receiving the Word in great persecution with the joy of the Holy Spirit in order that you all became an example to all the ones who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We have a really neat progression that Paul teaches us today.  They received the Word.  They received information.  They heard about God.  They heard about God’s love.  They heard about His grace and mercy.  They soaked it all up and took that information within them.  The life of faith begins with hearing.  It begins with becoming aware of something new that we can learn that is outside of ourselves.

If you think about when you started to grow in the faith, how did that process really begin with you?  How often does growth begin with you hearing something new?

Second Thought:

Then Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they became imitators of Paul and his associates.  The information turns into imitation.  As the Thessalonians learn more information, they seek to put that information to practice in their life.  The best way to do this is to see it at work in another person and imitate it.  This is why we hear Paul writing to people about imitating him so often.  It isn’t about becoming carbon copies of Paul.  It is about putting new faith into practice easily by imitating the people that we see around us who are doing it successfully.

Who do you imitate?  Why do you imitate the things that you do?

Third Thought:

Then Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they became an example to others.  The imitation of the Thessalonians turned into genuine application of faith.  They turned information into imitation into innovation.  Their faith became so real into their own life that other people began to notice it and imitate them.  That’s what faith is all about.  That is the heart of the discipleship process.

How has the faith that you’ve seen in others become your own faith?  How have other people seen your faith in practice and imitated what they see in you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10