Be an Encourager!

Quote of the Day:

Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

 

A key thought here, encouragement is always available. You can always find a way to be an encourager if you want to. Want to! Work at it! Grow in it.

News and Culture:

goodnewsnetwork.org;  www.positive.news; sunnyskyz.com

People are tired of depressing, distressing news!

A lot has been written about how too much bad news can lead to poor mental and physical health. Why does it have such an impact? It strongly influeces what you think about and how you think about it. 

 

Many people spend hours a day under the influence of social media, current news (mostly the negative news), and local gossip. It is no wonder that mental health is such a huge problem in America today. Take all of the negatives of SM and news and add in a large dose of the idealize life portrayed in movies and music and you too will soon be on your way to the funny farm! 

 

How do you maintain a healthy mental state?  Well, how about turning to the One who offers rest? Who offers peace that passes understanding?  The problem for us is that we have a knowledge of Jesus and the rest only He offers but we are too distracted by the burdens of this life to pursue Him beyond a fraction of our day on Sunday. 6 days filling your mind with garbage and expecting 1 hour of cleaning on Sunday to balance you out should seem a little strange. 

 

Fill your mind with His truth, His promises and His thoughts. Limit the influx of garbage and fight lies with truth.

 

Chloe's Corner: I Just Gotta Wonder

Living Theology: Encourage One Another

 

1 Thess. 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build up one another/

Heb.3:13 - But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today”

 

It is clearly a Biblical command that we encourage each other. What does that mean?

Encourage:  1. to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope 2. to spur on, stimulate

 

That gives us something to work with.

To Inspire, to spur on. When someone is dragging, to help them along the way.  I like that it includes the phrase "with courage, spirit, or hope" we all face times we lack the courage to go forward. Maybe in making changes in our personal life, maybe in reaching out in one of our relationships with the intention of bringing Jesus in. Fear can freeze us in place, encouragement spurs us onward. We have all face time when we lack hope that our current situation will ever end. Encouragement brings hope for the future.

 

How do you encourage others?

Words

From "you can do it" to "you are not alone"

From "I"m praying for you" to " how can I help?"

Tell others about needs and invite them to help. Maybe you can"t help but you know someone who can, be a go between and ask for the person who can't.

 

Actions

Jump in and serve when you see a need!

Pray (and let others know you are praying for them)

Be there

 

Some are gifted in this area, a real natural. Others of us have to work at it a bit harder but we are all commanded to do it! It is so important for the church to live out lives of encouragement.

 

The world is a hard place to be a Christian today. Make it a little easier for those who know you.