Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (v. 11)
Depending where you live, you may find yourself in a culture that is competitive, polarized, and overwhelming. It’s easy to get discouraged by the frantic pace of life, the division that exists, and the ways that people mistreat each other. Our world needs more encouragers.
If you have an encourager in your life, you know that person is a gift from God. An encourager cheers you on, picks you up when you are down, and builds you up. It’s not easy living as a Christian, and it wasn’t in the first century either. For that reason, the recipients of the letter to the Thessalonians and every believer in Jesus who has read it since, are called to encourage (v. 11).
Who can you encourage and how can you do it? In 1 Thessalonians 5, the apostle Paul suggests encouraging those in ministry, “the fainthearted,” and “the weak” (vv. 12-14). Don’t stop there, encourage everyone God puts in your life. As a pastor, I’ve received words of complaint and critique. I’ve also received wonderful words and notes of encouragement and support. Encouragement is a blessing that helps me press on with faithfulness, fruitfulness, and perseverance. God can use you to provide the wonderful gift of encouragement to someone today and in the year ahead. It doesn’t require a lot of time or money to bless someone God has put in your life.
As you pray, ask God to place a name in your mind of someone who needs encouragement. Then act on it and bless their day!
About the Author
Rev. Steve Petroelje is a specialized transition pastor who serves vacant churches and helps them assess health, pursue missional effectiveness, and conduct a pastoral search process. He is the past-president of the Words of Hope Board of Trustees.
