1 Thessalonians 1:6
You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit (NIV).

To imitate is to copy, to mimic. As a transitive verb it means to follow as a pattern, model or example. It means to be or appear like or produce a copy of.

With this in mind, we can appreciate what it means when the Bible says the Thessalonians became imitators of Paul, his friends and of the Lord. It means they decided to follow their pattern of life and perhaps their life style. They made them their role models so that they can be like them in their walk with God.

Paul went further to elaborate the extent of their imitation. He said, “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 1:6, New Living Translation).  They endured suffering, persecutions and received the word of God. Have we imitated Christ to this point?

Sometime again the Lord told me to stop my apathy to the word and be open to fresh word. At that point I was not ready to hear or believe another word because to me the ones I had believed were yet to produce results. Helped by Him, I opened my heart and remained steadfast believing Him for my deliverance.

Friend, we must imitate those who endured to overcome in life.

May the Lord help us. Shalom.

Your Turn

• Pray for the grace to be steadfast to God and His word.
• Pray that your life will reveal the way of Christ.

Song:  Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

Further Reading:  2 Corinthians 8:1-6.