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“Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy” (2 Timothy 1:4).
At first this may seem like a strange verse. Paul remembers Timothy’s tears, and he wants to see him, to be filled with joy. Can we get joy from someone who sheds tears? Yes, for if the person who is crying is shedding those tears for the same reason we would cry, then it can actually be an encouragement to us. If we are upset about something, but others do not care, then it can make us cry all the more. But if someone else is sorry too, it helps us.
Paul and Timothy were both concerned about the state of the believers at that time, as we mentioned two days ago. They were concerned enough to cry about it, and this was an encouragement to Paul, even though Paul was in prison at this time.
Usually we cry about something that is going wrong in our own lives, but Paul and Timothy were not crying for themselves; they were concerned about others. Do we sometimes cry because of others, or because something dishonors the Lord?
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