1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 – A nurturing heart

Paul had shown how much the Thessalonians meant to him. His primary concern was for their spiritual well-being. He could not take the suspense of not knowing what had happened to his beloved converts in that city. And though it would be a lonely experience for him to be left by himself at Athens, he was prepared to face it. He just longed to know how the Thessalonians were doing. In his desire to see them well, he had made several unsuccessful attempts to be there. When he finally could not take the suspense any longer, he decided to send Timothy, a brother and God’s fellow worker, there. Between Silas and Timothy, he chose to send the latter because he was not with them when the church there was first established. Besides this, Paul also had three other reasons why he sent Timothy to them.

Verse 2 tells us that he wanted firstly for their faith to be strengthened and encouraged. Then in verses 3-4 w are told that Timothy went there so that the Thessalonians would not be unsettled by their afflictions. Paul reminded them of what he had previously told them – that affliction was part and parcel of the Christian life. Finally, Timothy was sent there to find out how the Thessalonians were fairing and to return with reports concerning their welfare.

Notice that here Paul also made mention of the tempter, meaning Satan. He would attempt not only to stumble the apostolic band, but also the people who believed the apostle’s message. Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians would fall prey to the tempter’s traps and fall away. That’s why he was glad to hear that they were doing fine.

In thinking deeper, we get a sense that hardship can never be avoided in Christian life. Why? It’s because hardships strengthen our faith. They give us opportunities to trust the Lord, to draw near to Him and to prove our resolve to obey Him. The Lord had said in John 16:33 that in the world we will have tribulation. This, plus several passages in Scripture, such as Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 4:17; Phil. 1:29; Col. 1:24 and etc., reveal beyond a shadow of doubt that we will have to face many difficulties in life. And since we have been foretold of this, we should also arm our attitude not to be unduly stressed by them. Instead we should learn to draw near to God, and let Him draw nigh to us.