Bible Verse of the Day Friday December 2nd, 2022

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.

Each person must decide whether to accept Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior or deny Him. The people that Paul preached to and taught at Thessalonica that received His message were greatly inclined to turn their backs on the carnal lifestyle they were living and turn to Christ Jesus. Paul and his missionary partners brought the truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus, which they gladly welcomed. The Apostle Paul had received all of his gospel training from the risen Christ Jesus, his love for the savior of the world was paramount in how he lived his life and imitated Christ. In the same manner and fashion, those Paul and his companions taught in Philippi worked on following the example of Paul and the other missionaries to continue spreading the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

The message from God through Christ is full of love, hope, and joyfulness; however, it also comes with immense hardship and difficulty. Nevertheless, the new Christians in Philippi were prepared and eager to accept Paul's message concerning the substitutionary work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary for the forgiveness of all sin. When we choose to follow Jesus, no matter what adversarial difficulties might befall us, God will use us in manners we could never have imagined. When we surrender our lives to God's will and disregard any plans and ploys we might have for ourselves, God will increase and broaden our walk with Him eons beyond our narrow field of view (Ephesians 5:1-2). 

Many followers and believers in Christ Jesus are in the secret service. They hesitate to share their faith and trust in Christ Jesus with their co-workers, acquaintances, and friends simply because they fear reprisal. Still, many Christians know and have experienced the "joy given by the Holy Spirit" that stems from spreading the Gospel "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Throughout history, God's Word has had to swim against the tide of cultural norms while being attacked by the allegations of immoral followers of Satan. The good news is that although Satan and his evil followers, both spiritual and human, attempt to demoralize the Word of God, Christ Jesus has won the victory, and Satan is and always will be fighting a losing battle. However, Satan's resolve is firm, and we cannot take him or his followers lightly; he is still a force beyond human defense. If we follow Paul's guidance and become imitators of Christ Jesus, Satan and all who come against us will know that they have run up against an even more powerful force they could not have imagined.