We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by 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 in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among 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 – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

The Louvre in Paris is probably the most famous art gallery in the world. Since 1793, the Louvre has encouraged aspiring young artists to come and copy the masters. Some of our most famous artists have done that, and they have become better painters because of it. They copied the best the world has ever known. Paul instructed us to imitate God. We will never reach perfection before we get to heaven. Even so, we must resist the temptation to be satisfied with our present imitation of Jesus. We need to keep looking to Him, learning from Him, and asking for His help. Copy the Master.

To become like Christ,

we must learn from the Master.

Our Daily Bread – November 10, 2003