"Be Encouragers" by Mark Henrickson - 1 Thessalonians 2:
17 And as for us, brothers, when we were deprived of your company for a short time — in person, but not in thought — we missed you and tried hard to come and see you. 18 We wanted so much to come to you — I, Sha’ul, tried more than once — but the Adversary stopped us. 19 For when our Lord Yeshua returns, what will be our hope, our joy, our crown to boast about? Won’t it be you? 20 Yes, you are our glory and our joy!
3:1 So when we could no longer stand it, we agreed to be left in Athens alone 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker for the Good News of the Messiah, to make you solid and encourage you in your trust; 3 so that none of you would let these persecutions unsettle him. For you yourselves know that these are bound to come to us; 4 even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were about to be persecuted; and indeed it has happened, as you know. 5 That is the reason why, after I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your trust. I was afraid that somehow the Tempter had tempted you, and our hard work had been wasted.
6 But now Timothy has come to us from you, bringing good news about your trust and love, and telling us that you remember us well and are always longing to see us, just as we long to see you. 7 Because of this, brothers, in spite of all our trouble and distress, we were comforted over you — because of your trust;
(Complete Jewish Bible).Today's passage again reminds us of the importance of Christian community. We are given a glimpse into the pastoral heart of the Apostle Paul, who was was deeply connected with the believers at Thessalonica and wanted to see them badly. Finally, when he “could stand it no longer,” he sent Timothy to them to encourage them and bring news of their faith.
Over the years I’ve tried to be sensitive to the voice of God when it prompts me to send an email, text, or instant message to someone He brings to my mind. I’ve come to understand the power of that kind of encouragement, even from hundreds of miles away. Every so often I receive a message from one of our people simply telling me they’ve prayed for me that day. Many times a simple, one-line message has changed the course of my day, all because someone was faithful to the prompting of God to be an encourager.
God’s will is for us to be connected and stay connected with each other. Communications technology continues to make that task easier. Today, if you hear God’s voice on behalf of someone, go to prayer—then hit “send.”
Hymn for Today: "Faith of Our Fathers" by Frederick W. Faber.
1. Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
2. Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
And blest would be their children’s fate,
If they, like them should die for thee:
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
3. Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
4. Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
Thought for Today: Thus if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; and if one part is honored, all the parts share its happiness. (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Please pray: For the development of Christian leaders in Argentina.
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