DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 28 March 2025: Exemplary Believers
KEY VERSE:: 1 Thessalonians 1:7
So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10 (KJV)
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
We can only agree with Edith Wharton, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, who observed, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). The church in Thessalonica reflected this light so much as to become an example to other believers in the whole region of Macedonia and Achaia.
Apostle Paul and his companions (Silvanus and Timotheus) were glad to see the positive effect of the gospel preached by them in the lives of church members. The people received the gospel wholeheartedly and with conviction. They became followers of the ministers (sharing the same belief and conduct) even amid persecution and with Holy Spirit-inspired joy.
IProducing such strong Christians does not happen by chance. In the case of the Thessalonian church, it started with the quality of the message they received and the ample work of the Holy Spirit among them. The gospel that Paul and his companions preached to them did not stem from mere wisdom of men marked by psychological and emotional manipulations. The pure gospel produced a significant change in their hearts and lives. Miraculous manifestations and Spirit-induced convictions followed, and they modelled the lifestyle of the ministers who taught them. The results are usually sound and exemplary Christians wherever these factors are present.
In these days of borderline Christianity, deception and self-delusion, it is necessary to examine our spiritual lives to ensure we are on the same page with God. Like the Thessalonian believers, we must embrace the gospel with all our hearts, not picking and choosing what tickles our fancy. We must seek the Lord sincerely and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. We must stick with proven gospel ministers who demonstrate Christ’s doctrines through their teaching and lifestyle. This is how we can become solid and exemplary Christians.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The best proof that you know the way is to go that way.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 25-27
Daily Manna 28 March 2025
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