Chapter 2:19-30 My boy, Timothy ~ In verses 19-24 we get a little insight on Timothy, the young man that was really Paul's right-hand-man. Paul exposes some character qualities in Timothy to us that we should pause a minute to discuss. Look at verse 20. Not a casual interest. Not a passing interest. No, a genuine interest in the welfare of other Christians. Paul was so confident of Timothy's care-giving qualities that he felt Tim was the only one to adequately care for this loving group of believers. At a time when I know Paul would have liked to keep him close, he prepared to send him along to the Philippians as their new pastor.

• Are there some ways you could express or develop an interest in other Christians' welfare? In your church? Across the world?

E-paph-ro-di-tus - means charming. I think he must have been at least that. Obviously, he was trustworthy & reliable or the Philippian church wouldn't have sent him all that way with the help they offered Paul. Verse 26 describes his distress at the church's distress! It is apparent that they loved the guy, and worried when they heard he was ill. I think I'll enjoy visiting with him someday in heaven. How about you?

• Who is depending on you today? Would you describe yourself as trustworthy and reliable? How do you deal with another's distress?

It concerns me today that we leave people alone too much. I mean, here I am writing some ideas about the Scriptures on a computer - not seeing your faces or hearing your reactions. This misses the opportunity to 'be distressed' for someone else, to 'genuinely care' in a real way for another. Have we gotten too remote, too isolated? We can blame technology, I suppose, for offering us this crutch. Or should we place the blame on a culture that moves soooo fast, that we don't feel like we have time to make a real difference in someone else's life? I think it's just me. I'm the one who doesn't elevate another's concerns above my own, go the extra mile, actually pray when I promise to. Join me in looking for opportunities to show the kind of concern Timothy and Epaphroditus showed - and let us know how it goes!