Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year OneSample

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

Do people see Jesus in you?

Paul and Silas have a reputation that precedes them. As they minister in Thessalonica, the city leaders exclaim, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6). Why are Paul and Silas (not to mention Paul’s other associates) world-changers? These godly men could say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Did you note the order of the lead verse? The people became imitators, which is the literal meaning of the Greek term translated as “followers” and is also found in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “of us and of the Lord.” Those in Thessalonica beheld the Christlike lives of Paul and Silas and became followers of Jesus. Let’s imitate the set standard!

Employment Point: Imitate Jesus to turn this world upside down.