Righteous Reflection
"For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans." (1 Thessalonians 2:14 NKJV) Unless its surfaces are blurred, a good mirror reflects a perfect imitation of all incident images. Being made in God's images, the original intention is the reflection of God's character, which is holiness. The natural accomplice of holiness in an unholy world is persecution; to the end that suffering for righteousness becomes the natural evidence of godliness. How grateful to God was Apostle Paul to see the imitation of the same suffering in the Thessalonian's relationship with their countrymen. A righteous reflection hold nothing back in the resemblance of Christ's true character, especially in times of intense persecution.