Serve the Living and True God – 1 Thessalonians 1:9
Jul 23, 2026 9
The early Christians were strikingly different from their culture. They gave practically nobody their body and practically everybody their money.
For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. — 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV)
Turning Isn’t Enough
Turning away from idols is only half the story.
You can stop worshipping false gods. But if you don’t replace that worship with something real, you haven’t truly converted. The vacuum will just fill up again.
The Thessalonians didn’t just stop. They started. They turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
Notice that word: serve. It’s a complete reorientation of life.
A Radical Contrast
Look at what happened in the early church. Tim Keller observed this striking difference:
“The early church was strikingly different from the culture around it in this way. The pagan society was stingy with its money and promiscuous with its body. A pagan gave nobody their money and practically gave everybody their body. And the Christians came along and gave practically nobody their body and they gave practically everybody their money.”
Think about that. The pagan culture worshipped sex and money. They hoarded money because they believed it would bring security. They pursued sexual pleasure because they believed it would bring satisfaction.
But when people met Jesus and started to serve the living and true God, everything flipped. They became generous with money. They became faithful with their bodies.
Jon Tyson reflects on this beautifully. He says: “We need to be a people marked by financial generosity and sexual faithfulness. Instead of being driven by sex, money, and power, we must be driven by faithfulness, generosity, and servanthood.”
What Changed?
Here’s what changed: their God changed.
When you serve the living and true God, you’re serving:
A God who is infinitely generous.
A God who gave everything for you.
A God who is faithful.
A God who doesn’t demand hoarding or conquest—he demands love and sacrifice.
And when you truly serve him, that changes how you handle money.
You stop clinging.
You give.
It changes how you view your body.
You stop giving it away to anyone.
You save it for the person you’ve committed to.
It changes how you pursue power.
You stop climbing.
You start serving.
This wasn’t just a moral shift. It was a worship shift. They had a new God. And that new God transformed how they lived.
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
The Difficult Beauty of Serving
Here’s something important: serving God is costly.
When the Thessalonians turned to serve the living and true God, they faced opposition. They faced affliction. Paul mentions this later in his letter.
But they counted it worth it. Because they’d met the true God. And no idol in the world is worth more than that.
The Good News Is…
Jesus isn’t asking you to serve a distant, demanding deity. He’s asking you to serve the one who died for you. The one who gave everything. The one who loves you with an infinite, unfailing love.
When you serve him, you’re not serving out of fear or obligation. You’re serving out of gratitude. Out of love. Out of joy.
He lived the life we failed to live. He died the death we deserve. And he rose again, inviting us into a new way of living—a life of worship, generosity, and faithful love.
That’s what it means to serve the living and true God.
Further reading: 1 Thessalonians 1
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we turn from our idols and ask you to help us serve you with our whole lives. Give us generous hearts with money, give us faithfulness with our bodies, and give us a servant’s heart toward others. Help us to be marked by the radical difference that comes from worshipping you alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rev. Dave Miers
President, Good News Unlimited