Encouraging Each Other

Posted 11/19/2006 12:53:42 AM

What's the difference between this and loving one another?

To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. (from American Heritage Dictionary)

The bottom line is that we care enough about each other to do something about it.

We should depend on God for our hope - and that is most certainly true. However, on the flip side, God uses the us foolish, weak people to encourage those of His children that need it.

And the encouragement we can give is simply that we remind one another of our God and His all-so-encouraging character!

We're told over, and over, and over again to love one another, exhort one another, encourage!

• Moses twice was commanded by God to encourage his follower Joshua to lead Israel De 1:38; 3:28
• Isaiah writes of encouraging the exhausted and feeble with reminders that God will save! Is 35:3-4 And then look in Is 36 for the whole story about how a great army approached Hezekiah and challenged his very confidence in God. The next couple chapters describe in detail the conversations Hezekiah, Isaiah, and the opposing general Rabshakeh had among themselves, and God's devastating response in defense of His people.
• Look at Barnabas Act 11:23, who was really good at picking out God's grace all around him, and encourage more of the same.
• Paul's example during the storm that would shipwreck him and his shipmates, in encouraging everybody to eat, because there was hope in that all would survive! Act 27:34
• Paul sent Tychicus to encourage the Colossians, by removing uncertainty about Paul's situation (in prison). Col 4:7-8
• Along with keeping the unruly in check, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and many other great Christian "rules of thumb" in 1Th 5:12-22, we are told to encourage the fainthearted.
• Speaking of fainthearted, think of young women getting weary in loving their neanderthal husbands and keeping up with the earth's source of limitless energy: kids. Older men and women are to look after the younger, unpaced generation and guide them in godliness. What great words! Temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, sound in love, sound in perseverance, reverent behavior, not malicious gossips, not drunks, teaching what is good! Why? Because there is hope of seeing our Saviour! Tit 2:11-14

Other than the great, overriding theme of the Christ throughout the Scripture, the greatest purpose for the Word of God is to guide us through our lives. Hebrews 3:12-13 reminds us to take care of each others' hearts, in warning in quoting Ps 95's record of God's reason for giving us all the details of the journey of his stubborn people - as we all are when it comes to being selfishly discontent.

"Opportunites for Encouragement"

What Bible passages can you provide to bring hope, courage, or confidence to somebody?

1. Look at what God will do!
• Bring justice to the wicked Is 45:21
  Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.
• Meet our every need Ps 23:5
  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
• Be gracious and merciful to us Ps 145:8
  The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
• Forgive, and forgive, and forgive 1Jo 1:9
  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. Look at who God is!
• Lord God Almighty
• Faithful
• Loving Father
3. Who is on our side? Ps 118:6
   The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

How to get there?

• 1Thessalonians 5:12-22
• Titus 2:1-3:15
• Daily scripture reading, regular meditation/memorization. What are the epistles but an inspired record of encouragement to the church?
• Topical reference and search tools are nice, but still a human-compiled list
• The key is to fill our minds with the Scripture, so that the Holy Spirit can bring them to mind in our own lives, and in helping others.

All verses in this article