In our last visit we tracked the steps Paul took to overcome discouragement found in 1st Thessalonians 2:17-3:13. He first took some positive action steps. Then he affirmed a powerful truth by faith. When his struggle persisted he was willing to make some hard decisions.
Up to this point his focus was on himself and his need. His next step indicated his focus was turning from himself to others. He says in 3:2, 5, “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,” and, “to find out about your faith.” These were the right things to focus on – strengthen and encourage their faith. This new focus began his deliverance.
In the face of his own fear of having failed, he courageously took steps to grasp victory by opening a door to finding out what God was really doing. Since God doesn’t fail, the future began to look brighter.
Not surprisingly, in verse 6 and following when Timothy returned he “brought good news about your faith and love. He…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.”
Notice how important relationships are. I personally can testify to the power of similar sentiments in recent letters and emails received from fellow believers I’ve not seen in a long time. Good news often disburses clouds of discouragement.
