Whew!

Good morning.   How many times have we wished we had a word about someone far away.  I can remember when Trevor was in the Navy and technology had advanced to the point where rarely we could do facetime together and catch up.  The connection was always poor and usually the call ended by failing and not getting to say goodbye.  Now I get a daily audio or video from the grandkids in New York.  Today's devotional shows just how far technology has come.  Words travel much faster now, but that doesn't mean the Good News does.   How can we start to change the message our lives send?   Grateful hearts and kind words seem like a good place to start.  It seems life gets so busy that it's too easy to overlook the opportunities around us every day.  I hope your day today is one full of kind words and gratefulness.  Blessings. - Doug

Whew!

By Dave Den Haan — Thursday, April 23, 2026

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

Timothy has . . . brought good news about your faith and love.1 Thessalonians 3:6

Paul was overjoyed! He had sent his disciple, Timothy, back to the city of Thessalonica to check on the church they had recently planted there. And Timothy had returned with amazing news!

First, the background: Paul had spent only a short time in Thessalonica, establishing a community of Christ-followers, before an angry mob opposed to the gospel chased him off. Paul knew the deep challenges that the new Christians faced there in his absence, living in a culture that was deeply opposed to Christianity. He wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone had gone back to their former ways of life in Judaism or Greek tradition.

But Timothy came back with a report that the new Christians in Thessalonica were standing firm despite the challenges. They remained full of faith in Jesus. They even longed to see Paul again!

That doesn’t happen by accident. The God who raised Jesus from the dead also brought these people to life in him, and he kept them there. You might say that every standing-firm, new Christian was an ongoing resurrection story, a new creation, proof that God was up to something big: the renewal of all creation.

If anyone is in Christ, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, there is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come!

Lord, all of us who are new creations in Christ are glad to have your resurrection power at work in us. Thank you! The old is going away and the new is coming. Help us to see and rejoice. Amen.

Written by: Dave Den Haan