Good morning. Encouragement is defined as words which typically give courage or incite another person to positive action or perseverance. As followers of Christ, we are called to be encouraging to one another. We read the command in Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We are not only called to be encouraging, but we are instructed to do so daily. When you encourage someone, you are building them up; and you are reminding them of who they are in Christ and what they are capable of doing through the power of the Holy Spirit.
While encouragement is something everyone needs, not everyone knows how to receive encouragement well. Maybe you are one of those people who has a hard time taking praise and encouragement from others. That could be the case for several reasons, but one of the most common is this: people who were not frequently encouraged while growing up often struggle to receive encouragement as an adult.
If that is the case for you, this is a completely understandable place to find yourself. If you didn’t experience encouragement growing up, it is difficult for encouragement to be in your toolbox now; you simply learned to live and to manage without it.
Thankfully, we serve a God who is the Great Physician. Not only does He heal people physically, but He is also healing us psychologically. Many of us struggle through life as a result of the situations we’ve gone through and the words that have been said to us and about us. Sometimes the struggle is with the lies we’ve chosen to believe about ourselves. But we don’t have to remain in this struggling state. We can ask the Lord to heal us from these wounds and help us grow in our ability to receive the encouragement we need to live healthier and more functional lives.
I believe that every human being has a natural desire, perhaps even an unrecognized need for encouragement. When encouragement is directed your way, even if you’re not accustomed to it, ask God to help you see it as a blessing and to receive it well. Allow others to bless you as they build you up. Do not put yourself down or try to deflect their encouragement. Instead, thank them, and make it known that they are blessing you with their words and that you are thankful for them sharing an expression of their belief in you.
I also believe that our constant enemy wants to defeat the work of encouragement whenever and wherever he can. Discouraged people are so much easier for him to manipulate and to defeat. People that are encouraged are “built up,” which means that they have become stronger in spirit. That defeats the enemy’s schemes.
However, the scripture that was referenced earlier: But encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin… is voiced as a command regarding what we are to provide for each other. We are to be encouragers. What is more, we are to be encouragers RIGHT NOW—-TODAY! He makes this command more definite by saying “every day” and yes “while it can still be called today” which means DO IT NOW! It seems that the art of procrastination is nothing new. How often have you thought to yourself that you really needed to share some words of encouragement with someone…and then it slipped your mind. Or perhaps you thought of words of encouragement to share, but then for whatever reason decided against it. This verse of scripture recognizes such problems, and commands that we act on the spiritually given idea of sharing encouragement with a sense of urgency. I believe that one of the reasons we are commanded to act upon encouragement right away is that our enemy wants to destroy our efforts, and the longer we wait the less likely we are to follow through. Even if we do eventually share thoughts of encouragement, when significant time has passed the power and effect of those encouraging words will often have slipped away.
Be an ambassador of encouragement today. Look for reasons to encourage the people around you. If you have children in your life then this command is, I believe, all the more essential and powerful. If you are the one who is being encouraged, accept such words with grace and gratitude, for they are of the Lord.
God bless you today! You are loved; you are special, and you are wonderful!
Vern