Becoming a model

There are many ways to be a model to believers and unbelievers on a daily basis. This evening I want to share you with you one of the ways which I read tonight that really sticks out to me. I began reading through 1 Thessalonians 1 & 2 tonight and there are a lot of good things in that book. That book is a series letters that were written to the people of Thessalonica. These letters were like letters of encouragement to the Thessalonians because of their good faith.

Thessalonians 1:6-10: You became imitators of us and the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of serve suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 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 no need to say anything about it, 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 the true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

So there are a lot of things that you can take away from this short passage but the one thing I want to point out is that when the Thessalonians welcomed the message in the midst of serve suffering with joy given by the Holy Spirit, they became a model to all believers. Let that sink in and that let be encouragement to you. When things get tough in your life, which they will, welcome the message and people will notice and you will have such great impact. This impact might be something that you will never get to experience, but it is so powerful. Showing faith and welcoming the message in the midst of serve suffering is a great way to model to believers and nonbelievers on a daily basis. I have had friends go through some pretty serious things in their life and I have witnessed those people rely on their faith and when they do that, it is so encouraging. It is encouraging because if you can 'welcome' Jesus in the midst of serve suffering it should make it easier to 'welcome' Jesus in all situations during your lives.

-you are loved-