Daily Bread 2010 - 1 Thessalonians 3
Timothy's Encouraging Report
6But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
In the midst of the persecution that Paul is experiencing, he is encouraged by the Thessalonians’ faith and that they were as excited to reconnect with Paul as he was with them. There is always a special relationship between you and person(s) who led you to the Lord, even if this is your parents. We have earthly moms and dads who brought us into life, and also spiritual parents who helped us to grow up and mature in the faith and led us to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
A lot of Paul’s relationship with these churches, when he couldn’t be there in person, was through prayer and then letters written back and forth. Since they didn’t have the internet, they couldn’t text each other or give a Twitter update. So there may have been weeks or months between correspondences. This made the encouragement all the more sweet. This encouragement gave Paul strength to get through the imprisonment he suffered, as well as many other emotional and physical trials.
Oftentimes in our American culture we have “individualized” the Christian faith and made it all about “you and Jesus”. While a personal relationship with God through Christ through faith is the bedrock of what we believe, we are designed to live in community, what we call the “body of Christ”. That is why as much as technological advance has broadened the audience we can have, and given us an incredible sense of connectedness with the global church, there is no substitute for community God wants us to experience in the local church.
It always encourages me when someone stops to write or email and tell me about a way in which you have been encouraged by these emails. As we share the joys and sorrows of our journey with Christ we can encourage each other and stand firm in the Lord. One day, as we look back on all the twists and turns of our faith journey, we will see the many people God put in our path to help us stay on the road that leads to eternal life.
Jesus we thank you for the many people you have sent to encourage us, including your apostle Paul. Send us those we can encourage and be encouraged by as we face the various trials this life brings to us. In Your Name, Amen.
6But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
In the midst of the persecution that Paul is experiencing, he is encouraged by the Thessalonians’ faith and that they were as excited to reconnect with Paul as he was with them. There is always a special relationship between you and person(s) who led you to the Lord, even if this is your parents. We have earthly moms and dads who brought us into life, and also spiritual parents who helped us to grow up and mature in the faith and led us to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
A lot of Paul’s relationship with these churches, when he couldn’t be there in person, was through prayer and then letters written back and forth. Since they didn’t have the internet, they couldn’t text each other or give a Twitter update. So there may have been weeks or months between correspondences. This made the encouragement all the more sweet. This encouragement gave Paul strength to get through the imprisonment he suffered, as well as many other emotional and physical trials.
Oftentimes in our American culture we have “individualized” the Christian faith and made it all about “you and Jesus”. While a personal relationship with God through Christ through faith is the bedrock of what we believe, we are designed to live in community, what we call the “body of Christ”. That is why as much as technological advance has broadened the audience we can have, and given us an incredible sense of connectedness with the global church, there is no substitute for community God wants us to experience in the local church.
It always encourages me when someone stops to write or email and tell me about a way in which you have been encouraged by these emails. As we share the joys and sorrows of our journey with Christ we can encourage each other and stand firm in the Lord. One day, as we look back on all the twists and turns of our faith journey, we will see the many people God put in our path to help us stay on the road that leads to eternal life.
Jesus we thank you for the many people you have sent to encourage us, including your apostle Paul. Send us those we can encourage and be encouraged by as we face the various trials this life brings to us. In Your Name, Amen.
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