Encourage One Another

Hi everyone! I’m so glad you’re here today! I want to share something with you that’s been on my mind and heart lately: encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Right now in my personal Bible reading, I am in the book of Hebrews. A few verses of this book that stick out to me are these: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Maybe we go to church, maybe we hang out with friends who are believers, maybe we are a part of some ministry, but even if we do these things, are we stimulating each other to love and good works? I know I could do so much better at making a point to do this and make it a habit! And lately I have really felt that I need to work on it and change in this way. I want to be an encourager. I want to be an encouragement in other believers’ lives. And I think we all should be! Especially as we see that day approaching, which gets closer and closer each day!

I’ve recently seen and heard some other things that have provoked me to think more about this. My sisters were watching “The Pilgrim’s Progress” several evenings ago, and I was kind of watching too since one of them invited me to, and one part that stuck out to me was toward the end, where the main character, Christian, wished he had done more to convince his family to go with him on the journey to the Celestial City. And I think that if I were on my deathbed, I would look back and wish I had done more to build up fellow followers of Christ and try to bring others into the kingdom. We’re on this earth for such a short amount of time, and I really don’t want to waste the time God has blessed me with! I want to make the most of it and shine His light.

Another verse in Hebrews that stuck out to me was 3:13: “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that no one of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Day after day! This phrase really got me. I don’t think I can say I encourage others daily. But now I want to change that! We play such an important role in our brothers and sisters’ lives. I think we could see so much good, so much change, if we all followed this teaching well.

I even have a couple recent examples of being encouraged by others. One day I was telling a couple of my close friends about something I wanted to do but didn’t think I’d have much time for, and one of them enthusiastically said, “you should do it!” That made me feel good and made me want to do it even more! I still don’t know if I will get it done, but it was so encouraging and both their words and attitudes truly did push me in that direction! Another example was from a couple days later. My dad started up a conversation with me about something specific, and he really encouraged me in it! He built me up and spoke positively about me and how God could really use me. Our words matter, even if we don’t always think much of them. I wrote a post a while back about the power we have as influencers in others’ lives, which you can read here if you want!

In the letter to Titus, Paul instructs the believers on how they should live, telling them -specifically the older people- to “encourage” and “urge” the younger people how to treat their families and live their lives. Read the full chapter 2 here, or go look it up in your own Bible; I am boiling it down very much, but there is a lot of detail in this short chapter!

Another thing I recently saw that stuck out to me was this TobyMac #speaklife quote: “Remind yourself that so many lives are tied to your obedience. It’s never just about you. You’re only a vessel God uses to do His work and make a difference.” I feel like I so often am thinking of myself and my feelings rather than the spiritual betterment of others. I might not feel like going the extra mile for someone, or I might let fear get in the way of reaching out or speaking up. I have told myself so many times in my life: “It’s not all about me!” Sometimes I obey that inward urge, but sadly, sometimes I let selfishness get the upper hand. Which, in reality, would be sin and the devil. We need to remember that we are fighting in a spiritual battle! And it’s not only for our own lives.

I sometimes get annoyed when I hear or see churches promoting how community-focused they are and how much we “need each other.” It’s true we need each other and it’s good to live in community, but that’s not the only thing church is supposed to be about. I think I get annoyed not so much with the message but the emphasis. However, like the first verse I used in this post says, we are not supposed to neglect gathering together as believers! I do believe in living in community with other followers of the Lord and “bearing one another’s burdens.” (See Galations 6:2.) So I want to encourage you to get out there and find community with others who share the salvation you have! It might not look like going to Sunday morning service for an hour a week; maybe it’s building relationships with various believers out in your community and hosting them at your house or getting together and doing volunteer work as a group, or maybe it’s joining a small group at a local church (doesn’t have to be your own “home” church), or starting a Bible study for your peers or a group younger than you that you can mentor! Don’t be too focused on finding community for your own benefit, but so that God can use you in it! I completely understand wanting to be encouraged and filled up by others, but we must remember it’s not about us! God can use all of us to encourage and build up and help other people. I am excited because I am currently trying out a young adult group at a nearby church, and am in the process of starting a ladies Bible study for any young women in my life/community who want to join! I am hoping to be used by God in these groups as well as learn from and be encouraged by others, and build more Christian community in my life! I hope you will find or create something similar in your life if you aren’t a part of anything like that yet.

Adding to that, I want to let you know that you can’t sit around waiting for community to find you; you will most likely have to put in a decent amount of effort to get into community, whether it’s joining community or building one up yourself. I know it’s nicer and easier when people come to you, but that’s probably not what will happen. However, you could be that person for someone else! You could be the part of a community who finds someone -or multiple people!- to bring into it. Imagine how someone would feel if you reached out and included them! And I assure you, putting in the effort to do good is worth it.

Thank you all for stopping by today! I hope this post itself was an encouragement for you, and I hope you will be an encouragement in someone’s life this week!

So, how can you encourage someone today? Are you a part of an encouraging, uplifting community, or do you need to get out there and find one? Do you attend a Bible study or serve in a close-knit ministry of some sort?

Lord willing I’ll be back here next Thursday with more thoughts and encouragement to share! (-: