ENCOURAGEMENT: OBEYING AND SERVING GOD

BIBLE PASSAGE:
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 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 3:12-14)

MEDITATION:
Have you had some days when you thought to yourself,
    “I sure could use some encouragement right now”
You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders
and it causes you to think you are alone. Maybe you feel
that you have been doing a lot, but no one seems to notice,
or even care.

You may think about how sports teams have cheerleaders
who are there to encourage them and inspire the spectators
to cheer for them as well. It may cause you wonder,
    “Why can’t I have just one
      cheerleader to be an encourager to me?”

Encouragement is probably one of the greatest motivators available.
People who are encouraged have better attitudes, and can achieve
more than those who are not encouraged. Encouragement can help
others overcome many challenges in life. And the good news is, it is
something all of us can do, when we are not controlled by selfishness.

When you see others serving the Lord in a dynamic way,
you may think,
    “I wish I could speak like that”
  or
    “I wish I had their biblical knowledge to share with others”
  or
    “I wish I had the talent to sing praises to the Lord publicly”

These thoughts may cause you to think
the same thoughts you have had many times before,
“What CAN I do?” or “What can I DO?”

Aren’t you glad that God has chosen everyone who belongs
to Him for a specific function in His ministry? That means
you and I can DO something! Not only are we able to serve
Him in a specific way, but He also expects us to be a valuable
contributor to His ministry. God, the Creator of the universe,
wants YOU and me to do something for Him!

He even gives us spiritual gifts so that we will be equipped
to serve Him. Some may struggle with the difference between
talents and spiritual gifts. For instance, someone could have a
‘talent’ for singing, but their ‘spiritual gift’ may be encouraging
others.

Singing puts them ’on stage’ in front of people (and could be
an ego feed for some), but being a servant of the Lord, and
using our spiritual gift is often something that is out of sight
of the masses, but is seen by God. Although our service may
not be noticed by others, we are involved in God’s ministry.

If we struggle trying to discover the specific tasks God has
called us to do, then we can learn from the scriptures above.
While we are seeking His specific task for us, we can look for
opportunities to encourage others. Our encouragement can
be a contributor to the success of someone serving the Lord.

Even if we disagree with the theology of someone, we can still
encourage them by expressing our appreciation for their desire
to serve the Lord. Our encouragement may be the key that opens
the door for God to show them what changes they should make.

When someone commits their life to serving the Lord in
any type of leadership position, there will be times when
they unintentionally say something the wrong way, or
what they have said is misinterpreted by someone.

If we reread the scriptures above, we know that God does
not want us to ‘beat them up’ for their mistakes; instead
He expects us to encourage them for their efforts, to pray
for them, and to let Him work on their heart.

There may be times when a pastor is accurately sharing God’s
Word, but his presentation does not appeal to you personally.
You can still be an encourager to them, and when you do, God
may change the way they share His Word. In addition, God may
change your heart, and the way you are receiving His Word.

All of us can settle into a comfort zone with our own expectations.
When we are reluctant to allow the Lord to change our way of
thinking and our attitudes, it is not a spiritually healthy place
for us to be.

Instead of excluding, or rejecting spiritual things that do not fit
into our ‘box’, we should be willing to patiently wait, and expect
the Lord to show us new things through whatever communication
venue He has chosen for speaking to us.

We should never allow ourselves to become arrogant to the point
that we fail to listen to those who are dedicated to sharing God’s
Word correctly. God can speak to us through those who may not
be appealing to our ears, but they are committed to allowing Him
to speak through them.

God can even speak to us if someone is misguided and incorrectly
sharing His Word. We may ask, “How could He do that?” It’s a
good question and the answer is: God can alert us to search the
scriptures whenever we hear anything that sounds contradictory
to His Word (Bible reading is always a good way to hear from the Lord).

Praying for, and encouraging others is one way that everyone
can serve the Lord. For some it may be the area of service He
has chosen for them. For others, it may be an interim area of
service, until they discover His will for them. But for everyone,
it is an area of service in obedience to the scriptures from God’s
Word.

If you noticed in the scriptures above, before we are told
to encourage each other, we are given an indication that
this is an act of obedience, which protects us from sin, and
from turning away from God. When we encourage others,
the souls of the lost can be led to the Lord, and the hearts
of believers can become more obedient to His will for their
lives.

After we are told to encourage each other, God’s Word tells us
our actions will prevent our hearts from being hardened. Why
is that important? Because, when our hearts are not ‘hardened’,
we prove that our faith is real, and we have a sincere desire to
share Christ with others.

ACTION:
How often do you encourage others, and especially those of faith?
When is the last time you made a special effort to encourage your
pastor (phone call, card, text, etc.)? They have dedicated their lives
to serving the Lord in obedience to His calling.

Their desire is to encourage the lost to meet the Lord and receive
His salvation, and to encourage believers to grow in their fellowship
with the Lord. But where do they receive their encouragement? If
we do not encourage them, who will?

For us to be better encouragers, we need to eliminate any
selfishness from our life, wouldn’t you agree? Observing
the efforts of others to ‘do the best they can’ to serve the
Lord, should remind us of their significant importance
to God. Why wouldn’t we want to encourage them when
God has called to serve as a shepherd?

In order for us to ‘chip away’ at our selfishness, we need to
sacrifice our own importance in order to elevate others. We
may ask,
    “But who is going to encourage me?”
Our faith should serve as a reminder that when we obey the
Lord’s commands, He will bless and encourage us, even if
no one else does.

Look at the following scripture regarding how we should view
others in comparison to our own self-image and selfish desires:
    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
    Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
    not looking to your own interests but each of you to
    the interests of the others.
    (Philippians 2:3-4)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I know how encouragement lifts my spirits
as I live out my days here on earth. Thank You for how You
and Your Word encourage me as I as I try to obey Your will
for my life. Teach me to encourage others and to push into the
background all of the selfish thoughts and desires I have for
myself. Show me how to be courteous, respectful, and kind to
others as a precursor to being an encourager to them. Raise a
red flag in my spiritual heart whenever I allow my own selfish
desires to cause me to treat others in an unkind way. Remind
me that I am obeying Your Word when I am an encourager to
everyone, and not a discourager to anyone.”

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