A Living Witness - 1 Thessalonians Series

This devotion is written by Matt O’Reilly from his book, “The Letters to the Thessalonians.” Matt O’Reilly is a contributing author at seedbed.com. We hope you will be encouraged.

1 Thessalonians 2:1–8 NIV You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

Key Observation. All of life should be lived to please God alone.

Understanding the Word. Most of us live under constant pressure to please people. Employers, coworkers, our spouse, friends, church members—we want others to be happy with us. That desire is reinforced by constant immersion in social media, which always leaves us craving one more “like.” Paul offers a vision of Christian life that is radically countercultural. He doesn’t live to please people. Paul lives to please God. That’s the focus of 1 Thessalonians 2, and it has big implications for Paul and us.

First, living to please God meant Paul would suffer. His message about Jesus faced opposition. He mentions they had “suffered and been treated outrageously” in Philippi. We learn in Acts 16 that Paul was accused of disturbing the city and encouraging illegal activity. So, the city authorities had him stripped, beaten, and jailed. But Paul didn’t live to please them; he lived to please God. And God called Paul to preach Jesus. Paul lived courageously into his calling, despite the suffering.

We don’t always think of following Jesus as something that takes courage. In North America, we aren’t in danger of being arrested for going to church. We can follow Jesus without fear of physical harm. But there are places in the world where following Jesus does take courage—great courage. In some parts of China, people who become Christians risk being disowned by family or reported to the local government. Evangelism was recently criminalized in Bolivia. If you attempt to lead someone to Jesus in that country, you could be imprisoned for five to twelve years. It takes real courage to follow Jesus in places like that.

Second, living to please God motivates integrity. All of us can think of preachers who are known as tricksters. They promise health and wealth to those who give money to their ministries, and they end up looking like they’re in it for the money. Paul doesn’t want to give that impression. He’s not preaching for the payoff. He’s not doing it for public acclaim. He’s not out to be a celebrity. He simply wants to be faithful. You see, Paul understood that our lives will either commend the gospel or undermine it. If we’re going to tell people Jesus loves them, we need to also embody that love. If we appear to seek our own gain, we hinder the gospel and create barriers to faith for others. Living to please God means living with integrity that commends the good news.