We should always thank God for you, brothers and sisters. That’s only right, because your faith is growing more and more and your love for one another is increasing.
Whenever we pray to our God and Father, we remember the work that your faith produces, the service that’s the result of your love, and the strength to continue that comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
If a person believes in Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter whether they’re circumcised or not. The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
But just now Timothy has come to us from you, and he has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have happy memories of us and that you long to see us just as we long to see you.
For this reason, we’ve been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We keep asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.
We were comforted by his arrival, and also by the comfort you had given him. He told us how much you longed for me and about your deep sadness and great concern for me. That made me happier than ever.