The believers in Thessalonica were poor, oppressed, and persecuted. They were slandered and hated by their neighbors. And still, their faith in God continued to grow. And when Paul learned of the growing faith of these beleaguered believers, he felt compelled to thank God. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef points us to the tremendous example of the faith of the Thessalonians.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.
[00:00:30] I am late for my hair appointment and I can't find my carkeys. Lord, why me?
[00:00:49] The believers in Thessalonica saw their livelihoods destroy their children attacked and beaten
[00:00:54] and their homes vandalized because of their witness for Christ. They faced threats of arrest, imprisonment and death.
[00:01:02] They relied about and their reputations were destroyed through it all. Their faith grew and their love for one another intensified.
[00:01:11] Instead of saying, Why me? They said, Why not me? Why should I be treated any better than my Christian neighbors who are suffering?
[00:01:20] Instead of saying, Why are you doing this to me, Lord? They said, Thank You, Lord, for walking through this time of trial with me.
[00:01:30] As you read these words, Christians around the world are undergoing incredible suffering for the sake of Christ.
[00:01:37] In many Muslim-dominated countries where terrorism is a daily fact of life, Christians are being tortured and beheaded and their children are murdered before their eyes.
[00:01:48] The Lord loves those murdered believers as much as He loves you and me. The day may come when we will all have to undergo persecution.
[00:01:58] Will our faith grow? As the faith of the Thessalonians grew? Will our love for one another intensify like the love of the Thessalonians?
[00:02:07] The time to start increasing our faith and deepening our Christ-like character is now. We need to prepare ourselves now for the testing to come.
[00:02:18] Let's pray together. Father, thank you for the persevering faith of the Thessalonians. May their example in bolden and inspire us to pursue deeper faith as we take on the humble attitude of Christ.
[00:02:33] Prepare us by your spirit for the testing to come. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.