You Received The Word With Joy
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To
The church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
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.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
A certain man wanted to know what life was like for
homeless people. So he concealed his identity and went to live on the streets
of his city. He found out that food and shelter were offered by many organizations.
At one shelter he could spend the night if he listened to a sermon beforehand. He
appreciated the guest speaker’s message and wanted to talk with him afterward.
But as he reached out to shake the speaker’s hand and ask if he could talk with
him, the speaker walked right past him as if he didn’t exist.
The man learned that what was missing most in ministry to
the homeless in his area were people who were willing to build relationships.
So he began an organization called Servants Center to offer help through
friendship.
What he encountered at the shelter was the opposite of
what the people who heard the apostle Paul experienced. When he shared the
gospel, he gave himself too.
In our service for the Lord, do we share not just our
words or money but our time and friendship?
One measure of our likeness to
Christ
is our sensitivity
to the suffering of
others.
Our Daily Bread – April 1, 2009