1 Thessalonians 2 Devotional

A Word at Work in You

“And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is also now at work in you who believe.”1 Thessalonians 2:13 (BSB)

Paul recalls his visit to Thessalonica. After being mistreated in Philippi, he and his companions still spoke the gospel boldly, not to please people but to please God, who examines hearts (2:2-4). They used no flattery and sought no praise (2:5-6). They were gentle among them, like a mother caring for her own children, glad to share not only the gospel but their very lives (2:7-8). Like a father, they urged each one to live worthy of the God who calls them into his kingdom and glory (2:11-12).

Above all, Paul thanks God for how the message was received. The Thessalonians accepted it not as a merely human message but as what it really is, God's own word, which keeps working in those who believe (2:13). That is why they could endure suffering from their own countrymen (2:14). Paul's tenderness mattered, but the power was in God's word, not in Paul. The same word is still at work in believers, to be received as God speaking, not as advice to consider.

To think about: When you read Scripture, what difference would it make to receive it as God's own word at work in you?