When I study and meditate on the following passage of the Bible, the following truths about God lights up my heart. I will share with you the picture I see, and I will give you the opportunity to share what your thoughts are when you read the passage from your bible. Here is the passage of today’s study and discussion…..

"For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,  because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.  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.  And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia."

1 Thessalonians 1:4-7 (NIV) 

1.He loves us despite of all our weaknesses. He has promised to love us no matter what. He loves us so much, to why he gave his beloved son to die for us on the cross (John 3:16), this is illustrated by Paul in v4. We are loved by God always.

2.He has chosen us and through the Holy Spirit we know that we belong to him (1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 1:4-5). Our spirit and His spirit testifies together that we are His chosen generation (Romans 8:16) v4.

So I can say that through Paul, God has revealed to us how much he loves and cares for us. It is His desire that we seek Him in all that we do. It is up to you and me to understand this truth and live by it for every moment of glory. God loves me and you and He has chosen us to be a chosen generation in His kingdom. By His love and choice, we forever belong in His care.

God chose us before the foundations of the universe were set in place, and He loved us before we loved Him. He himself is love, and because we are created by His image, this is why we love. These are the truth I see when I study in between the lines of this beautiful passage written by Paul to the Thessalonians.

Paul reveals to us how he has lived according to the ways of Christ by noticing these two crucial points. He knows that we are a chosen generation, and we are so much loved by God and this is revealed to us through the testimony of our spirit and that of God.

With joy we can walk through suffering when we have come to understand that we are a chosen generation loved by our heavenly father. We come to learn all this when we have been convicted by His spirit through His son Jesus Christ.

These are my thoughts as I read this passage today, what are yours? Let me what gets into your mind when you read 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7 (NIV).