BE AN ENCOURAGER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Hebrews 3:13-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Every single person who retains the ability to knowingly relate to people can make a difference in the life of another...and they can do so every single day.

It’s true because God has given every single person the ability to love and encourage and He expects that we put that ability to use because innately, we all have a deep longing to be cared for and lifted up.

As we see in today’s scripture verses from our continued look at the third chapter of Hebrews, we find the writer imploring his Jewish Christian leaders to willfully devote themselves to love and encourage one another. Look again at his words here:

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Vv. 13-14

Christians are all called to share Jesus with others and when we answer that Great Commission calling, we do so with a sense of promoting positivity and conveying hope. After all, we are sharing good news with them, right?

This needs to be a conviction that’s routine. We need to love and encourage others as easily as we breathe in and out and can count on the Lord presenting us with plenty of opportunities every day to put our skills to work while elevating the spirit of those we engage.

You may not have loads of money to give towards the Lord’s work. You also may not feel like you’re the most gifted person in the world, lacking confidence in your talents and how they might fit into the work of Christ in the church. You may not have either treasure or talent but what you do have is the time to exercise the power of encouragement in the way you interact and treat others.

Friends, we live in a world full of people who are afflicted, hurting, and broken in many ways. Life seems dark and hopeless to them, ever dragging them further and further into a sense of depression and despair. They are desperate for something positive, anything that might bring them light and levity.

Through Christ, we can be that light by emulating the Spirit and attitude of the One who was (and is) the Light of the world (John 8:12), the One who called us to “let (our) light shine before others” so that they would “glorify (their) Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).

That friends, is just one way we can be an encourager as we are called to within the Word of God.

So who will be blessed by your love and encouragement today?

It could be someone you know, family or friends or co-workers.

It could be a total stranger, someone you might meet through your job or while running errands out ad about in the community.

It may even be someone you might randomly run across on social media, someone who has posted words that show they could use encouragement. Take the time to leave a comment to support them and let them know you’ll be lifting them up to the Lord in prayer.

And since we’re on the matter of prayer, I submit to you that this should be the starting point regarding any desire to love and encourage others. We should be intentional in asking the Lord to lead us to those who need buoyed up in spirit and then be prepared for every instance that He answers that prayer and offers an opportunity because He will.

As I close, I ask you to consider a world where every person willingly sets themselves aside in order to make time to love and encourage another. It would be an incredible game changer and the truth of the matter is that we have the capability to do it right now, “as long as it is called ‘Today’”.

You do your part and I’ll do mine. Let’s make a difference together in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.