Read 1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:12
From the sounds of it, Paul is writing this letter to the church in Thessalonica from Athens. It seems he wanted to bring the whole traveling party back to see how they were faring on their faith journey, but Satan always interfered. Satan remains crafty today, and we often think of spiritual warfare, those battles we face when evil tries to manipulate us by keeping us busy and distracted. For Paul, it sounds even more intimidating.
Thankfully, Timothy was able to get back to these believers and put Paul’s mind at ease. Paul thought very highly of these people in Thessalonica and how they had embraced the truth about Jesus. As a ministry leader myself, I can identify with feeling “pride and joy” toward certain groups who’ve stayed faithful and even grown closer to God after I departed. It’s hard to describe how good it feels to open the doors for a spiritual journey to begin and see it swinging open wide. Continue reading “1 Thessalonians 2:17-4:12 – Our Pride and Joy”
