“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”  1 Thessalonians 5:11

When you need encouragement, where do you go? To a good book? To the Internet? There are many encouraging blogs such as this one. But sometimes you need more than words, you need someone with skin on. Someone who will listen to you, stand by you, pray for you, believe in you. Right?

I found this someone in Mr. Turner, a man in his eighties, who had served God all of his life. I would find his comforting notes in my mail box. He would call me by telephone to ask how things were going. Sometimes he would say, “If ever you need to talk, come over to our house. Mrs. Turner and I will be happy to see you.”

When I did go to their house, I was received with genuine pleasure and a cup of tea. Mr. Turner would position himself so he could hear me better. Then he would ask, “What’s happening?”

For one hour they would listen to me carefully. Then Mr. Turner would say, “We’ve heard enough now, Helen, let’s take it to the Father.”

Hushed I listened as this man and his wife thanked God for his abiding faithfulness to them throughout the years. They thanked God that he would be just as faithful to me. They affirmed me as a good person. They breathed hope into me that God would use even this experience for good in my life.

Before I left the safety of their home, my friends would give me some words of encouragement from the Bible, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: ”(Psalm 37:5)

Gently closing the Bible, he would say, “Leave it in God’s hands now. He will work this out in due time.”

Can you be an encourager to someone today? Send a note, make a phone call, go for a walk, and above all, listen more than  talk.

Father, I thank you for people who’ve encouraged me. I want to be an encourager today

By Helen Lescheid
used by permission

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FURTHER READING

Who Could Use Your Encouragement Today?

The Best Word of Encouragement

Encourage One Another

The post Be an Encourager appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“A person finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is a timely word!”  Proverbs 15:23

We all have moments in life that have been really significant. They have shaped our thoughts and perspective. They are important moments!

When I was 12, I spent the day with a family friend. This friend had become like a second mom to me. We were engaged in a variety of household odd jobs when she paused and said, “Mike, you are a good boy.” My first thought was, “Really?”

I had experienced few affirming words up to that point. This honored friend’s words echoed in my heart that day and somehow imprinted on my identity, and then lingered as a poignant moment in my memory for decades. Years later, I told this cherished lady how important her words had been in my search for identity. Joy shone in her face at the knowledge that her simple words had impacted me so deeply.

In God’s economy there is the principle of reaping and sowing. As we are intentional to bless and encourage, we will be blessed and encouraged. Paul states this in strong language,

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

He continues with the admonition,

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

What words are you saying to someone else that will imprint on their memory and shape their identity? The seeds of your words can reap joy, today and later on.

Dear Father, help me to be an encouragement. You know every deep thought and need of those I will intersect with today and this week. May your Spirit give me simple and timely words or motivate me to acts of kindness to bless others. Amen.

By Mike Woodard
Used by Permission  https://www.familylifecanada.com/

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“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

I enjoy being a devotional writer, a ministry I started for my Bible fellowship class nearly twenty years ago, and have continued each week since then. My mailing list has grown over the years and several publishers re-direct to their audiences in the thousands over six continents.

I am humbled with the feedback I get from people I have never met and never will, but whose lives I have impacted. One in particular, a man named Stephen in Bangalore, India writes me faithfully each week. His notes are such an encouragement to me.

Several years ago, I received a note from a man in Kenya. He said he was a new Christian and had been asked to lead the village’s weekly Bible study. He said he didn’t know what to use until he read my weekly Thoughts on Life and then used it to share with those in the village.

I am amazed that in this new world of international electronic communication that I can sit at my desk and reach the most remote places in the world for Jesus. With humility, I thank God that I can do this ministry.

My only goal is to encourage others in their faith and they in turn encourage me. Encouragement is one of the greatest powers in the world. We all need it. Sharing a kind or positive word, paying a compliment, giving a hug or a pat on the back, recognizing someone for a job well done. These are all powerful ways to boost the mental and spiritual state of those around you.

The writer of Hebrews says it well.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Encouraging others is a way to stir them up to love and perform good works. That’s pretty powerful stuff especially in a world that seems geared toward tearing us down. Encouraging Someone Is easy, but powerful. It just doesn’t take much to encourage others.

How much effort is it really? Drop a note, send an email, publicly praise someone. None of these take much time, money or effort. Yet they can stir us up to love and good works.

Encourage someone today and be prepared to receive back even more. In addition to making others day, it will make you feel so good when you are in a mood of encouragement.

By John Grant
Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

Further Reading

•  Why Worry Yourself Sick? – by Muriel Larson

•  Suffering – Spiritual principles to meditate on during hard timese

•  Salvation Explained

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