ARE YOU FEELING DISCOURAGED AND UNLOVED?

SCRIPTURE:
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, 
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, 
in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. 
(Colossians 2:2)

MEDITATION:
If you asked people what is something that would lift their spirits,
many would answer, “Love and encouragement”.
Paul knew that, 
and he did what he could to provide both of these to the Colossians.
But that wasn’t the end of his purpose.
He believed that once they were encouraged and united in love,
their minds would have a lot of unnecessary ‘junk’ removed, 
which would result in their understanding things in a new way.

Was he right?
Probably, because when we are encouraged and loved, our attitude changes.
We have a brighter outlook, 
and are not bogged down trying to find faults in others.
In fact, we will be more apt to love and encourage others, 
because we know the effect it had on us.

But, why was Paul concerned 
about the Colossians having a better understanding?
Because he felt it would lead them
to a greater knowledge about the God-provided mystery of Jesus Christ.
This is important because it is difficult for some 
to get their mind around the role of Jesus in God’s salvation plan.

Most think, “There had to be another way”, or “How could Jesus die for me?”
But Paul felt that love and encouragement 
would lead to a better understanding, 
which would cause others to not only know more about God’s mystery, 
but to also accept His plan, and surrender their lives to the Lord.

Paul gained a lot of wisdom after His transformation 
from persecuting Christians, to becoming a child of the King.
Paul changed from being a “man’s man” to becoming “God’s man”.
As a result, 
he knew that love and encouragement were paired together for a reason.
Think about it for a moment – if a person knows they are loved 
then they will be encouraged.
That explains why so many are discouraged 
in our world today – they do not feel loved.

More than likely people do not feel loved, 
because others do not understand love and how to show it.
In the wisdom God provided Paul, 
he tells us in First Corinthians what genuine love includes.
To paraphrase 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Paul says,
“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 
it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; 
it is not irritable or resentful; it does not delight in what is wrong, 
but rejoices in what is right. Love bears all things, believes all things, 
hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.”

When we review the list from Paul, 
we can understand why the divorce rate is so high.
Many couples think they love each other, but once they are married 
they discover that they never really understood what love meant.
Satan seizes every opportunity to mislead us 
and he does this with love, by equating it to sex.

ACTION:
Do you feel discouraged?
If so, then surrender your life to Jesus and receive a better understanding 
of the reason for your existence, along with a new hope 
that is a by-product of feeling loved and encouraged.
When is the last time you encouraged someone else, or showed them love?
As a child of the King, 
you have a responsibility to love and encourage others.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your plan of salvation. Thank You, Jesus 
for voluntarily being the important part God’s salvation plan. When I think 
about what You did for me, I feel loved. When I feel loved by You, I am 
encouraged about life in general, and eternity at the end of my earthly 
journey. When I am discouraged and feeling depressed, remind me that I am 
not as close to You as I need to be. Convict me of the areas where I am 
refusing to be obedient to Your commands expected of those who belong to 
You. As I become more obedient and grow closer to You, teach me how to love 
and encourage others. Develop Your love and forgiveness in my own heart so 
I can love unselfishly. I realize that replacing selfishness with 
selflessness will not be easy, but I know that with You, I can do all things.”