Tag: Encourage Each Other

Encourage Each Other

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

Do you know what the people in the world do endlessly? They tear others down so that they look better. If you don’t believe me, just spend five minutes on social media and you will see that it’s all about how great they are compared to others. Or sit in a restaurant and watch how the customers treat their server. Some snap at the server for slow service or demand extra attention or amenities. Or go to a store and listen to what people say to the cashiers or the employees throughout the store. Impatience and rudeness seems to be a part of today’s culture.

I don’t want to be one of those who tear others down, but rather I want to build up others. I can only do that if I am confident in my place in the Lord, letting others know that they can have the same peace, the same patience and the same love that Jesus showed to others. They just have to surrender their lives to Him.

Some of the least likely people need encouragement. Pastors, teachers, evangelists…those serving the Lord daily and pouring out their hearts and lives for Him. How long has it been since you said an encouraging word to your pastor? Don’t just conjure up a word because I said to do so…pray about it and say it from your heart.

The regular people that we meet or come in contact with every day are hurting and need our encouraging words. It can be a simple smile, a heartfelt “thank you” or a sincere, “you’re doing a good job.” I seldom go out shopping anymore. It’s so much more convenient to shop online, have boxes delivered and move on to the next thing on my list. But I do come in contact with people, some deliberately and some just an accidental encounter. I know that I am responsible for each word that I speak to each person I meet, so I want each word to be purposeful and uplifting. I hope I am not, but I may be the only positive person that they come across that day.

No matter how we are encountering people, online or in person, we can be encouraging. I want to be known as a “Positive Polly” not a “Negative Nellie.” So, give everyone the benefit of the doubt and let them know that you appreciate their efforts to help you, serve you, talk to you, whatever it is that others do to interact with you. Let’s be the kind ones, the ones who truly set out to make a difference in a world that has become increasingly impersonal and self-absorbed.

Encouragement from God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13828/day/11

God has a plan for our lives, even when we don’t see it and seem to be struggling through each day. He also gives us daily encouragement if our eyes and ears are open to receive it. I recently had an online friend post that she needed prayer because one of her friends had lost her daughter to an unexpected death. Since H has been grieving for her son who was killed when a truck him him in April, she has firsthand knowledge of what her friend is going through. God didn’t cause the accident that took her son, nor did He want it to happen. But He is now using it to help her to reach out to others in a similar circumstance. Just as I encourage people who have had strokes that it will get better and that they can go on with all of the new restrictions, H can encourage this bereaved mom. When we have bad things happen, we should not be shaking our fist at heaven and railing at God. He doesn’t make bad things happen, but He will allow us to use those experiences to help others who need help as desperately as we once did. I remember what my daughter told me a week after my stroke, when I was so discouraged about what I was unable to do for myself. She said, “Mom, just do what you can do today. It will get better, but you have to be patient.” Those are my words of encouragement to each of you today. Do what you can do just for today; don’t worry about what is coming tomorrow or next week or next month. Take one day at a time and trust that God is working to make it better.

Encourage Each Other

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App3 Comments

In today’s world in which sarcasm is applauded and putting others down is a way to make yourself feel bigger, we are called as Christians to be encouragers. We have to stay focused on the final goal, to be with Jesus in Heaven, and not on the earthly applause we would receive from fitting in with the crowd and doing as the majority does. When someone is doing a good job, tell them you appreciate them. When a fellow believer calls for help, don’t be like Job’s friends and decide that their problems are of their own making. Encourage them to go forward with the Lord, not to stay where they are. A pastor once told me, “There is no standing still with God. You are either moving forward or you are sliding backwards.” Let’s choose to help others move forward!

Live on Purpose

Without intentionality, people tend to drift—becoming complacent instead of motivated, lacking vision instead of leveraging purpose.

But for those of us in Christ, we’re called to something more than drifting our way through life.

The author of the book of Hebrews said it this way…

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:24-25‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬

Earlier in the chapter, we’re told that the old system of sacrifices couldn’t cut it. But Jesus—the ultimate sacrifice—made a way once and for all.

Now, we have access to God’s presence, provision, and power forever.

And so the author encourages the reader to inspire their fellow believers. Let’s break down what they say:

– “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works…” It’s easy to slip into routines and patterns that, at the end of the day, don’t have eternal value. It’s easy to become numb, idle, and indifferent. But that’s not the way of Jesus! Let us use our God-given ingenuity to point each other back to Him. Let us be expectant for the opportunities—and even interruptions—that He places in our paths.

– “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do…” Gathering together as the body of Christ is a privilege—a privilege that not everyone around the world can do safely. We shouldn’t take community for granted. Life isn’t just about what we need, but also about being there for each other—to meet practical needs, to help each other grow spiritually, to pray and worship together, and to collectively invite God’s presence.

– “…but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Just as hundreds of prophecies were fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the rest will come to fruition on the day of His return. Rest assured, He is coming back! So let’s encourage one another to stay focused. Let’s encourage one another to be ready.

With a little thought and intentionality, we can live on purpose.