1 Thessalonians 1 Devotional

Loved and Chosen by God

“Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you,”1 Thessalonians 1:4 (BSB)

Paul opens with thanks, remembering before God the Thessalonians' work that comes from faith, their labor prompted by love, and their endurance grounded in hope in Jesus (1:3). He knows God loves them and has chosen them, because the gospel did not come to them as mere words but with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (1:4-5).

The evidence was visible. Amid great suffering they welcomed the message with joy given by the Spirit (1:6). Word spread everywhere of how they abandoned idols for the true and living God, serving him and waiting for his Son from heaven, Jesus, whom God raised from the dead and who rescues believers from the coming wrath (1:9-10). Their faith, love and hope are signs of God at work, not human achievements. He chose these believers, he sent the word in power, and he raised the Son they now wait for. Turning from idols is the fruit of that grace, and it can begin today by naming what has taken God's place.

To think about: What has quietly taken God's place in your affections, and what would turning from it to the living God look like today?