May 12 2016

How Would You Like To Do Something For God?

GOD’S ENCOURAGERS! –

What a beautiful facet of love, being one of God’s encouragers! What a beautiful picture of All God’s people. Who are Christians? They are to be “GOD’S ENCOURAGERS!” The most encouraging people on the face of the earth are to be God’s people! GOD DESIRES YOU TO BE ONE OF HIS ENCOURAGES…”Encourage the fainthearted…” -{1 Thess 5:14}.

“ENCOURAGE.” – IT IS NOT OPTIONAL- IT IS A CONTINUOUS COMMAND! It is a command and is to be part of your NEW Lifestyle. This is not a hit-and-miss, but a steady, habitual trait to be developed and maintained by you. It means you have to be LOOKING OUT for the welfare of others. As Phil 2;3-5 says, “Do nothing From selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,” Be OTHER Conscious! Be Conscious of their Condition! How are they doing? Be a People person. Love people and one way is to be aware of those around you or who come to mind and seek to serve them. Hebrews 3:13 says, “Encourage one another DAY AFTER DAY, as long as it is called, ‘TODAY.’ …” Today God would have each of us be mutually involved in each other’s lives and specifically coming alongside someone to “ENCOURAGE.” God’s will “TODAY,” is to “ENCOURAGE…” Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy had done this in 1 Thes 2:11-note (uses same verb – paramutheomai).

Paul never seeks to ask others to do what he was unwilling to do himself.

NOTE, he or the others did not WAIT till someone “FIRST encouraged,” them! That is Selfish, not Selfless. And Love is Selfless, sacrificial, OTHERS Orientated! Paul never asks the saints to do something he would not do. This is a good PATTERN we need to imitate. it begins with an ATTITUDE, followed by an ACTION. “I exist to seek to encourage others, for Jesus’ sake…” {See 2:Cor 4:5}

“ENCOURAGE “-speaks of coming alongside someone in a friendly way. “Speaking soothingly, seek to reassure, relieve…to calm, console.” What a rich word with its rich meaning! Even the tone of our voice is to be considered when addressing someone. Speak soothingly, and reassuringly, to calm, and comfort them in their time of difficulty, stress, and pain. It is a choice to deliberately seek the highest good of another, who happens to be….“… fainthearted.”

In the New Testament, it means to “relate near, encourage, console (to serve as a source of comfort in disappointment, loss, sadness, trouble), comfort. The idea is to speak kindly, soothingly, to comfort or pacify.” One question we can ask of ourselves, since it is a COMMAND and is CONTINUOUS which speaks of a NEW LIFESTYLE, is,” HOW AM I GROWING AS AN ENCOURAGER OF GOD’S PEOPLE? “

Here Paul specifically says whom to “encourage,” namely…the…
“FAINTHEARTED,”- The word, speaks of “discouraged, feeble-minded,” “small souled”, the little-spirited, the faint-hearted, the despondent, the feebleminded …the Greek word does not carry any hint of mental deficiency), fretful, discouraged, worried.” …”The idea is that this is a description of the person who feels their resources are too small for a given situation and so they are despondent or discouraged.”{preceptaustin.}

Do you Know anyone who is worried, despondent, discouraged, or overwhelmed? What is your response?  What comes to mind, Is it “get a grip of yourself,” and berate them, look down on them? Hmm, if that is the case then it REVEALS your heart condition, you are not spiritually minded in your thinking. This is His Will REVEALED that those who are in such a condition are to be “ENCOURAGED,…” But for how long you ask? As long as you are breathing, as long as it is called, “TODAY”-{Heb 3:13}. As long as God still COMMANDS it! Is it a command? Yes! Is it continuous? Yes! Is it called “Today?” Yes! There is your answer!

ENCOURAGE- PATIENTLY, GRACIOUSLY, SPECIFICALLY, SOOTHINGLY, CALMLY, Those who are “FAINTHEARTED,”. Those who are discouraged, despondent, worried, and overwhelmed. And this do patiently. REMEMBER Love is Patient! – {1 Cor 13:4}

YES, YOU CAN, Encourage the despondent, discouraged, and disheartened, patiently today! LOOK OUT for the welfare of others.
How wonderful Barnabas is known as an ENCOURAGER- {Acts 4:36}. Paul amidst his own pain spoke in Colossians 4 of three individuals who in his pain had been an ENCOURAGEMENT to him. We all need Encouragement, for we all at some time are discouraged, despondent, worried, overwhelmed, and how wonderful when God sends a Barnabas!

How is your service of Encouragement doing lately?

You can BY CHOICE in OBEDIENCE to His Command, be someone’s BARNABAS Today! LOOK OUT for the welfare of others. Don’t walk away from the discouraged walk towards them with compassion and impart hope!
BEING A “GOD ENCOURAGER,” is not for a “SELECT FEW,” but for ALL His people. It is a command, failure is not due to a lack of spiritual giftedness, but one of disobedience! There is no such thing as the “gift of discouragement,” but there is a command to be a continual encourager to the fainthearted!

ENCOURAGERS NEEDED!
Be one today, It is God’s design, and command for you! What a privilege, wherever you are,… God’s Encourager, you are God’s answer to the “feeble-minded!”…Help is on the way for them and you are God’s means to share His love. And at times if you think, He has raised up and sent an ENCOURAGER to you when you have been despondent, worried, overwhelmed… what a great army of people God’s people can be as they choose to be OBEDIENT to Him, from a heart of love and appreciation to Him, and be …one of, “God’s Encouragers!”

What Can You Do For God Today?

Encourage one of His discouraged ones!