Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:18 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “Be an encourager”
The Bible calls us to be encouragers of one another. Two primary ways to encourage someone is to thank them for what they do, and to affirm them for who they are. But there’s a big difference between the two. When we thank someone we’re expressing gratitude for something they have done. It means we are appreciative. Most of us were raised to be polite and to say “thank you”. Thanking someone is not only an expression of gratitude, but it’s also a form of encouragement in that it makes the other person feel good for what they have done, and that then motivates them to do it again.
But affirming someone for who they are is different. When you affirm someone for who they are you are actually confirming for them what you believe to be true about them. Affirmation inspires and motivates a person, and it bolsters the person’s self-image. Affirmation is a form of encouragement too, but it is a higher form. Appreciation thanks them for what they have done. Affirmation commends them for who they are. Both forms of encouragement are important, and both are needed, but affirmation is more important and more helpful.
Encouragement can be a form of ministry. Making it a point to thank and affirm people is a good way of lifting someone’s spirits and encouraging them to even greater heights of conduct and character. People who are encouragers find reasons to thank and affirm people. It’s a way of blessing them. By doing so, the encouragers build into that person’s life in such a way that it moves them forward in their development and growth as a person and as a follower of Christ.
The Bible repeatedly calls us to be encouragers of one another. One of my favorite New Testament heroes is Barnabas, the “son of encouragement”. (We could use more sons and daughters of encouragement.) In 1 Thessalonians 4:18 the Apostle Paul urged his readers to encourage one another with Biblical truth. In Hebrews 10:24-25 the writer reminds us that one of the reasons we are to regularly gather with our church family is so that we can encourage others, and so others can encourage us.
Why not add encouragement to your list of ministry activities? Be intentional about it. Make it a point to find reasons to thank people for what they do, and to affirm them for who they are. In my opinion if you are a habitual, intentional, encourager, then yours is a life well spent.
Oak Hill Baptist Church