1 Thessalonians 1:6
Rebecca Lightfoot
The next characteristic that will identify a sincere seeker/follower of Christ is that they will be “imitators of the Lord”(1Thes1:6).In order for the new seekers/followers in Thessalonica to do this,they looked to the people that were seeking/following Christ themselves(“You became imitators of us and of the Lord:in spite of severe suffering”).The Thessalonians deliberately changed the way they were living their lives from ways that looked like/smelled like/thought like/loved like/worked like/spoke like/played like...all the people around them,to ways that looked like/smelled like/thought like/loved like/worked like/spoke like/played like the people that were themselves seeking/following Christ,and the MOLD they were using as The Standard was The Lord Jesus Christ!They were looking for others that were seeking to live as Christ lived. The people around us,particularly those that we “desire what they have”,will have a direct impact on our minds/hearts/lives...some part of us will become imitators of them.We must be mindful of this impact,and make the same choices the people In Thessalonica did by redirecting their “attention” to those people that were earnestly & humbly seeking/following Christ.Proverbs 13:20 says,”Walk with the wise and become wise,for a companion of fools suffers harm.”And Proverbs 1:7 says,”The fear(awesome respect/reverence)of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”So-we need to look for those who revere The Lord and His Word...and let our lives be more like them than those that do not revere The Lord and His Word....and be deliberate about what our lives look like/smell like/think like/love like/work like/speak like/play like to those around us.Dear Lord...I have modeled much of my life to be an imitator of people and aspirations that would not be seen as giving You nor Your Word reverence and honor in my life...forgive me...and wake me up to what I am imitating in my life...and help me to aspire to imitate You and be drawn to others that have the same desire...to be imitators of You!