Encourage One Another

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Sometimes people ask me what God’s will is for them. They are not sure of God’s purpose for their lives. The question gets asked of me particularly by people who are home-bound due to their physical condition. They are no longer able to serve God with their bodies. They are no longer able to drive and do the things they used to be able to do in the past. So people wonder, what am I good for? Why am I still here?

The verbs “encourage’ and “build up” are written in the present tense imperative.

• Present tense – never ending, on-going
• Imperative – command, order

Whether you have a healthy body or not, this verse applies to all of us. All of us have the capacity to encourage and build up the people around us.

So, today, take a look at your schedule for the day. Who are you going to meet today? Who are you going to talk with today? Who are you going to come across today?

Your job, should you choose to accept (Mission Impossible analogy – just saw the movie!), is to be an encouragement to the people you will encounter today. Your job is to build up the people you will see today.

That might be your spouse, your co-workers, the cafeteria lady, the coffee shop barista, your helper at home, your children. Whoever you are going to come across today, you have the capacity to make their day better by encouraging them and building them up because God loves that person so much God died for them.

Can you do that for Jesus? These are people for whom he paid the ultimate price on the cross.

So, who are you going to bless and encourage today?