“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
Why does God double down on telling the Thessalonians to “build one another up” … even though it says they are already doing so?
Maybe they are like us - and encouraging others doesn’t come naturally …. This world pushes self-esteem… not esteem for others - and we tend to build ourselves up – even if that means stepping on others to do it.
But Christians should be different – building our brothers up should be our full-time job. We ought to constantly be helping others prepare to face life in a broken world.
But how do we do that?
We strengthen others by reminding them that they are no longer destined for wrath and that they have been delivered from eternal punishment by the sacrifice of Christ…Focusing on our redemption can make todays negative news cycle lose its impact.
The encouragement of Christ is not just something we offer when someone is having a bad day. Reassuring our brothers is not just done before the battle… it is done constantly.
You don’t lift weights the day of the game - you do it every day for months prior to the season.
Spiritual strength is the same…. We must be each other’s full-time Strength Coaches…. Discussing daily the blessing of redemption - and the joy of being loved by God.
In this age of pessimism and fear - we must build the confidence and faith of our brothers. In a world that preaches anxiety, we must advocate faith so we will not be shaken when we face trials.
This won’t happen by accident; we must encourage each other on purpose. Make it your goal to be the greatest spiritual trainer you can be to the people in your circle. Set daily targets for encouraging others and then relentlessly pursue those goals.
You can’t do it alone, and neither can I – So find someone this morning to encourage …build them up and make them stronger today, so they will be ready to fight beside you tomorrow.
“The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” – Peyton Manning
Thank you boy that is so kind you have always been a sweet and loving man and a good Christian I'm glad to know you
ReplyDeletethanks for the kind words
Delete