Paul was worried about the Thessalonians, but he was unable to visit them, so he sent Timothy. Timothy brought back a favorable report - this church was flourishing & standing firm in their faith. For Paul, this was great news, for he himself had been experiencing persecution.
This little chapter has so much depth to it if you look for it. Paul was a great man of faith who did many, many great things for Christianity. Yet, he needed encouragement, he needed to be built up, he needed others. For Paul to see that others were flourishing & standing committed, that a difference was being made, that the cause was a good one, was encouraging. It helped him to keep up the fight, to persevere through the hard times and keep his eyes on the goal.
You may think you lead a little life, yet your day to day faith can build up others. You don't need to be a great man of faith, preaching to the nations to make a difference in the life of someone else. And remember, those men of great faith who preach to the nations need to be built up and encouraged just like you. Don't assume that they are perfect, that they never struggle. Realize they are just men (and women) like you who love the Lord and are called to a purpose. We all need each other.
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