as we recall your active faith and labour of love and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

fain, in our yearning affection for you, to impart not only the gospel of God to you but our very souls as well ??you had so won our love.

to lead a life worthy of the God who called you to his own realm and glory.

But when Timotheus reached me a moment ago, on his return from you, bringing me the good news of your faith and love and of how you always remember me kindly, longing to see me as I long to see you,

It is life to me now, if you stand firm in the Lord.

And may the Lord make you increase and excel in love to one another and to all men (as is my love for you),

Finally, brothers, we beg and beseech you in the Lord Jesus to follow our instructions about the way you are to live so as to satisfy God; you are leading that life, but you are to excel in it still further.

You need no one to write you upon brotherly love, for you are yourselves taught by God to love one another,

also, endeavour to live quietly, attend to your own business, and ??as we charged you ??work with your hands,

so that your life may be correct in the eyes of the outside world and self-supporting.

but we must be sober, we who belong to the day, clad in faith and love as our coat of mail, with the hope of salvation as our helmet ??9 for God destined us not for Wrath but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us that waking in life or sleeping in death we should live together with him.