1 Thess.
and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, (1:9b)
From John MacArthur’s commentary – A sure evidence of the Thessalonians’ election was that they submitted to a new Master. Salvation meant a decisive break with pagan religion and a redirecting of one’s whole life. The Thessalonians abandoned all polytheism and embraced only God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul expressed this change as their having turned to God from idols. Turned is from the verb epistrephō, which is used in the New Testament to indicate the fact that in the sinner’s conversion there is a turning in the absolute opposite direction (Acts 9:35; 11:21; 26:18, 20; 2 Cor. 3:16; cf. Luke 1:16; James 5:20). Such conversion entails repentance, a turning from idols and in faith submitting to the Savior alone (Acts 20:21). Such turning is far more than merely changing one’s belief about who Christ is—it is a complete reversal of allegiance, from idols to serve a living and true God. The word Paul chose for serve (douleuein) means to serve as a bond-slave, which was the most demanding form of servitude. Paul knew that the Thessalonians had turned from slavish devotion to false, dead, demonic idols to a new and welcome slavery to the one living and true God
Rom. 6:16–18
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
I needed to be reminded of what a true Christian is – they are willing slaves – that follow the will of their new master – Jesus Christ. It comes with the evidence of being a person who no longer follows after the common usual unrighteous things of this world and submits to his new nature within – Righteousness. Satan will be faithful to temp me away from this to be under the old regime of sin – following after what naturally come to me – proving that I am actually not really saved. God will test me to prove that I am. It is what happens with my life as I am being tempted to sin or tested to Righteousness – that will prove what I really am. Lord I pray I will live righteously in this world – and not sinfully. Help me submit to you and follow – listen and learn from you all the days of my life.