1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

3         So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. ² 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, ³ so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. ⁴ In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. ⁵ For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. ^[1]

So much of individual focus today is on the self. Our educational goals, career goals, and even personal goals are centered on individual advancement. Concern for others is an afterthought if we think of it at all. We explain that we are not being selfish or insensitive; there are simply not enough hours in the day to do more than we are doing. But the Bible admonishes believers to encourage and strengthen one another. The writer of Hebrews suggests that it should increasingly become a central focus as we see the day of the Lord approaching.

In these verses Paul attempts to encourage the believers in Thessalonica. He is not able to be with them physically, but his concern for their spiritual welfare is so great that he sends Timothy to strengthen and encourage them. We have all kinds of excuses why we do not encourage one another, but note that Paul was enduring great persecution and still was able to show genuine concern for someone else.

Paul’s motivation is first of all his intense love and concern for the people to whom he had ministered, but also he had a fear that the tempter might have tempted them away from the gospel. The post-modern church wants to by-pass any discussion about the reality of demonic activity, but the job of the tempter, according to Jesus (John 10:10) is to kill, steal, and destroy. Encouragement then counteracts the strategy of the tempter. It enables believers to maintain their focus and hold onto their faith. We are all busy people but let us encourage one another today lest them tempter come and tempt us away from the faith.

O Lord, You know how crazy my schedule can be sometimes. Help me do two things today: better manage my time, and stop using it as an excuse to avoid doing Your will and walking in Your purposes. I am guilty of making excuses for why I am not able to encourage my sister and brother, and I am afraid that I may have missed an opportunity to snatch someone back from the jaws of the tempter. Fortify me today so I will be able to stand and encourage myself, if necessary, and so be prepared to provide encouragement to others. Amen.