Wednesday 22 Apr 2020

April 22: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

Devotion:
Who would have thought we could get so much from just a couple of verses in each of the Apostolic writings! Today is no different… I could have focused on verse 2 and reminded us all of the importance of prayer for one another – especially when we cannot be with the people we love, but instead I am going to focus on the words “in God the Father”...

Let us never forget just whom we praise and glorify! It is God and God alone. It is hard for us to get our heads round the fact we worship a single God who is three parts, so let us not get into the intricacies and try to justify it on an earthly level but focus on the word “in!” Paul wrote this letter to all people from the church of the Thessalonians who expressed an interest IN God. In other words, this is a letter to all who have recognised God in whatever shape or form they have done so.

This is God Almighty, our Father in Heaven, our Saviour, our Christ, the Spirit within us – all these are just ways in which we identify with God. God remains the same now and forever, but our impression changes with our growth and with time. The more we get to know Him, the more are able to accept just who He is and how He can take care of us. But this all supposes we have an interest in God to begin with!

We gained this interest by hearing about God in the first place and then accepting Him into our lives. From that moment on we became a part of His family, thereby being “in God the Father” by proxy. It all came about for us because Jesus was willing to give His life for us even though He was not guilty of any of the sins He was accused of. So, today, lift up a prayer to God your Father in Heaven and ask Him to continue loving and protecting you for His will and His pleasure and His glory!

Points to Ponder:
Do you know God?

Will you invite Him to have His will in your life?