So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
According to Webster's dictionary, several synonyms to the word "encourage" are "bear up," "cheer up," and "embolden." Isn't that what all of us need today? Don't we all need someone to bear us up, cheer us on, and give us an extra ounce of boldness today? As much as each one of us is craving encouragement from those dearest to us, many of us do not take the time to encourage our people in the same way.
In the book of 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul writes about the end times. He writes about the day when Jesus will return to earth and make everything that is wrong in the world right again. When He returns, believers "can live with him forever (1 Thessalonians 5:10). As he writes about this good news, Paul says, "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." These instructions tell us that, while we are waiting on Jesus to return and bring us to live with Him forever, we are to encourage each other and build each other up. We are to tell each other to persevere. We are to call out each other's gifts and strengths. We are to cheer each other on and tell each other not to give up. This is true for everyone we come in contact with, including our spouses. You see, we know how those closest to us need to be encouraged. The question is, will we take the time to actually encourage them?
Our words, if we will let them, have the power to have a profound positive impact on our spouses, our family members, and our friends. You have the power, with your words, to help your loved ones persevere and run their race following Jesus as best as they can. You also have the power to use your words destructively. Choose today to be your spouse, your family, and your friends' biggest advocate.
Are you reading this devotion, thinking about how much you want someone to encourage you today? Choose to be that encourager that you want in your own life. If you are married, encourage your spouse in a way that will be meaningful to them. If you have a friend or family member who could use some encouragement, reach out to them today and tell them why you are proud of them. Tell them to keep going. Encourage them not to give up. If they don't attend our church, invite them to join in with you this weekend.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NLT)
Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
