Today's passage: 1 Thessalonians 3

"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?"(vs.9)  Is there anyone in your life that you can ask that about?  Is there anyone in your life that would ask this about you?  In the middle of persecution, the body of Christ is Paul's concern; it is his source of encouragement.  How different things are here in 2010!  In the U.S. we cannot relate to this level of persecution, and when things get difficult we typically run to everything else but Christ or His bride, the church.  Maybe we need a road trip, a movie, a day at the mall, a day at the spa; the list goes on and on.  Rarely do we look for encouragement in what God is doing in the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters around us.  In Hebrews, Paul made the exhortation, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (10:25).  Nurture the relationships you have, forge new ones that you might minister in the name of Jesus!