Focus
Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.
Read
Salutation
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 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. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy from the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 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. 9 For they 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 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Reflect
As I traveled throughout the Cumberland Presbyterian Church this past year, I was so encouraged by the people I met who shared their hearts with me. We have people in the Cumberland Presbyterian church that could be described in the same way as Paul describes those in the Thessalonica Church. I pray for a revival in our church so that all can be described as, “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, “message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction,” “you became an example to all the believers,” and “in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.”
And know that we at the Cumberland Presbyterian Center in Memphis will follow Paul’s example as we, “always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” May the Lord bless the ministry of your and all churches in the coming year.
Pray
Lord, give us a passion for seeing you glorified and people healed. Amen.
Go with God.
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