Sun 1 Nov

How are you is a frequently asked question. We often ask it in passing. It is often asked without expecting any real answer. When was the last time you actually answered truthfully to the question? When was the last time you said to the person asking the question, “Look, if I am brutally honest with you, “I am really struggling with life at the moment.” And the reason we often do not answer honestly is hat we often do not have the time to sit and listen to what is happening in someone’s life. Or we are afraid we might have to actually listen to someone else’s story.

So, how are you really? This was a question the apostle Paul was genuinely asking of the church in Thessalonica. He wanted to find out was happening there since the mission team had to make a quick exit from the city. They had faced persecution and Paul was wondering how the believers were doing after the team had left. Had they kept the faith? Had they drifted back to their idol worship? To find out how they were faring, Paul sends Timothy a long-time pastoral friend to ascertain what was happening.

Are there people we need to ask the question of? How are you going? Do we need to free up some time in our lives, so that we have time to sit and listen to someone else’s walk with Christ? If Paul took the time so can we. Find out how a fellow believer is travelling. May we be greatly encouraged as we do so.