Encouragement: September 24, 2010

Today's Word for Friday September 24, 2010

ENCOURAGEMENT

DEFINITION

The act of encouraging; the state of being encouraged; something that encourages.

SCRIPTURE


"That I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." Romans 1:12

"That your hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love." Colossians 2:2

"We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith." I Thessalonians 3:2

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

The Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey established a church for new believers in Thessalonica. Paul knew that these Christians would need encouragement so that they would not be drawn away from their faith by the pagan society they lived in. Since he could not return, he sent Timothy to encourage and strengthen them in their faith.

People today continually go through times of discouragement and they need friends like us and friends like you to give them a word of encouragement. Many children today never receive a word of encouragement from their parents. This was verified by a recent study released by UCLA that said that the average father spent FOUR minutes a day talking to his child and FOUR hours a day watching TV. Children who receive no encouragement and affirmation at home will seek it elsewhere. And most likely it will be in the wrong places and from the wrong people. How then can that child feel encouraged in life?

Look at what children are surrounded with today. They live in a POP culture, with drugs and alcohol available to them almost everywhere they go, including on their school campus. They have the trash on the internet available and unless a parent filters what they can see, they see the worst. They are not allowed to read their Bible or pray at school. The Ten Commandments have been banished and now an attempt is being made to take off our money the phrase IN GOD WE TRUST.

Our society is progressively becoming more anti-God and more anti-religion. It is little wonder that children today are becoming involved in all the wrong things like alcohol, drugs and sex. We live in an immoral society and the peer pressure our children face to conform to is tremendous. We must recognize as parents, the importance of our roll in our children's lives. We must encourage our children to stand firm in their faith.

Communication is one of the most important elements of a successful marriage and family. Families today are breaking up because no one gives another family member any word of encouragement. We are so quick to criticize, but so slow to encourage. Stop and think right now -- when was the last time you gave an encouraging word to your spouse, to your children, to your extended family or to your associates.

Paul suffered many incidents of discouragement on his missionary journeys while he was spreading the gospel. He was persecuted, beaten and imprisoned. He thoroughly understood the importance of encouragement. That is why he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "encourage one another and build each other up."

No doubt there is someone you know right now who is going through a time of discouragement. What a blessing an encouraging word from you could be to that person.

LEARNING

Our memory verse for this week is found in 1 John 4:10.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

PRAYER

Put me in situations today where I can be an encouragement to people. Help me to seize every opportunity possible to show people that someone cares for them. And then may my life, by my words and actions, glorify Your name and bring honor to You.