heaping sin up to the limit

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

The key words in this passage are: the word of God (which is repeated a few times), the idea of suffering and persecution and the wrath of God. Paul m oves from reminding the church about how he conducted himself to reminding them about how they received the word of God and the persecution they endured because of it (Acts records rioting taking place). Paul says that the people of Thessalonica are connected to the churches in Judea, to Jesus and to the prophets of the OT through the persecution they endured. There is a contrast between how the believers received the word of God (accepting it as the word of God) and the rioters received it (rejecting it with violence).
The question that arises out of this passage for me is: what does it mean to receive the word of God as the word of God? Also: have I received the word in this way? If it is the word of God then it comes with the authourity of the King which means that a) the promises can be completely trusted and b) the commands should be unreservedly obeyed. For me to receive this as the word of God means that I must build my whole life on what it says and not hedge my bets. However, there is a process of interpretation that must take place: what does the word say? What does the word mean (in the context of history, the rest of the book and the rest of the Bible)? and What does the word compel me to do or believe? The problem with this process is that it is not perfect and I could (conciously or sub-conciously) allow what I really want the word to say influence the process. I believe that my motives are basically right when I approach the Word so I am trusting God to help me understand what he is saying and to then build my life on it.