As Paul traveled, he came to Thessalonica. Paul’s custom was to find a synagogue in the area where he would reason with others from the Scriptures. He proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, promised by God in the Old Testament. Some of the Jews as well as some prominent Greeks joined Paul, but other Jews stirred up trouble. They accused Jason of harboring Paul, and they accused Paul of defying Caesar by promoting Jesus as king. The city was thrown into such turmoil that Paul and Silas left for Berea. The Jews in Thessalonica were not willing to listen to reason or the Scriptures. They could not serve Jesus as their king.

Paul and Silas went to Berea, going to the Jewish synagogue there. The Berean Jews were described as having noble character. They looked into the Scriptures intensely. They eagerly sought to verify the truth of the gospel Paul preached. The result of their seeking God in the Scriptures resulted in many of them believing. The people who had agitated in Thessalonica now did the same in Berea. Paul left for Athens, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea for a while. They took care of those who had such eagerness for the word of God.
Application: Lord, help me to have a noble and right attitude toward your word—to seek God, worship Jesus as king and call others to faith.
One Word: Study the Scriptures every day