Jeremiah 14:11-16:15 / 1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13 / Psalm 80 / Proverbs 25:1-5
We must be constantly working to bring the best out in others; to remind them of who God created them to be and of their value to Him. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that so many are unsure of the stamp of God on their lives since we have an enemy that is continually fighting against us. If we were ever fully aware of our worth in God’s Kingdom, we would be unstoppable. Our adversary can’t have that happening!
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NLT talks about the bulk of the work a Christian leader faces daily. Here is what these two verses state: you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.
There have been times I wished I was confident in who God created me to be in the earth. And there have been times I wished others were also confident in this same way. I grow weary at times of reminding myself that I am a daughter of the King, and there are also times I wonder if others are listening when I remind them of their identity in Christ.
Today, during our gathering, one lady pointed to me saying that I have encouraged her not to identify herself with the labels of others, but only with the labels God gives her. Someone is listening! That was so encouraging to me; my words are being heard and they are producing life in someone else’s heart. It’s a blessing to see the fruit of our hard work. Not everyone gets the opportunity to see the growth God brings.
Three words from the verse above are fascinating; pleaded, encouraged, and urged. Let’s look at each of these words because they do not sound like “light” actions being described. Pleaded is the word exhorted in the King James. Encouraged is the word comforted and urged is the word charged.
Exhorted (parakaleo) means to call near, invite, call for, comfort, desire, intreat, pray. Comforted (paramytheomai) means to relate near, console, encourage calm or comfort. Charged (martyreo) means to be a witness, testify, give evidence, bear record, give testimony – to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.
That sounds like a lot of hard work! Some believe we can speak into a person’s life once and they should understand what they must do, but the truth is we must repeatedly exhort, comfort and charge our brothers and sisters in Christ because they are being repeatedly fed a contrary message. Some can encourage themselves, some need lots of help from others, and some need help from time to time.
The level of encouragement we need depends on many factors such as how long we’ve been a follower of Jesus, what maturity we’ve gained by using God’s word, the circumstance we’re facing, and many other factors. Even the strongest of believers has seasons that are so difficult that they need help from God and other believers. I don’t think we can assume that even our leaders do not need encouragement; they do. After all, we are all human, clay vessels and we “leak”, requiring a refilling.
We must first recognize that we need encouragement. Then we are free to approach God’s throne of grace to get the help we need. We can approach that throne alone, or we can invite another to do that with us. Sometimes inviting another along will also encourage her! Don’t try to live your life in a lonely vacuum; reach out for help from others. They may point you to God, take you to God, or carry you there if needed!
