But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has 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.
1 Thessalonians 3:6 NIV
Good News
Here’s a bit of good news from British Columbia. The owner of an East Vancouver cheese shop says he’s grateful for a quick-thinking bus driver for putting out a fire outside his shop. The fire was spotted on a night in July 2024 outside Les Amis du Fromage on East Hastings Street near Hawkes Avenue. A security guard was on scene within five minutes and joined by a bus driver who jumped off his bus with a fire extinguisher, who quickly doused the fire.
***
While there are dangers to social media, there are also great blessings. I’ve been in ministry for 45 years – I was ordained in June 1981. Over those decades, I’ve had the joy of pastoring many people – through social media, I’m able to keep in touch with quite a few of them. It is so encouraging that many are walking closely with the Lord and faithfully loving and serving Him. Paul expresses that same encouragement in 1 Thessalonians 3:6: “But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has 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.” What a gift that report must have been. In the middle of hardship, the Christians in Thessalonica had held fast. Their circumstances had not softened, but their faith had deepened. Their love had not cooled; it had matured. Notice also the mutual encouragement. Paul longed to see them, and they longed to see him. The body of Christ was never meant to be lived out alone. We need one another’s prayers, words, and presence.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley