Faithful Encourager
by Brenda D. Flowers
.. Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful (to His word); and let us consider (thoughtfully) how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together (as believers for worship and instruction), as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more (faithfully) as you see the day (of Christ’s return) approaching. (Hebrews 10: 9-10, 23-25, Amp.)
Meditating on God’s faithfulness, I thought about the way God encourages me daily.
What a gift of encouragement the Bible is to me! And these Scriptures speak powerfully to me.
I often think about how the human writers of the Bible were obedient to record the words so that the people of their time period could hear or read them and be encouraged. I wonder if God allowed any of the writers to see ahead of time the impact their obedience would have on future generations of people.
I am thankful for my Bible.
God wants us to be encouraged so that we may encourage others.
When I read the book of Hebrews in the Amplified version (See above for quoted verses), I am challenged to ask myself, “How am I being a faithful encourager?”
One way, is by volunteering to teach the next generation.
As I sing with little 1-2 year olds the Bible Study Fellowship preschool songs, “God is So Good”, “The Bible Is a Treasure Book” or “Praise Him! Praise Him!” (You may listen to BSF Preschool songs on YouTube or Spotify), I hope I am giving these precious little ones love and encouragement. I want them to know God’s faithfulness.
I also have been trying to be faithful to meet with other Christians on a weekly or biweekly basis. During each week, my family and I try to gather with other Christians as the writer of Hebrews under the inspiration of Holy Spirit encourages.
We meet in church buildings, homes, coffee shops, restaurants, parks or other places. We have special times of worship, teaching, testimonial sharing and fun fellowship together. As we have gotten to know each other better as a church family, we have been able to pray more intimately together and to spur each other to discover God’s purposes for each of our lives. We also comfort each other in times of grief or need.
When we function truly as the body of Christ, we are encouraged more and more to live for Him.
I truly look forward to being with and serving with my brothers and sisters in Christ each week.
Recently at a small group weekly gathering in my pastor’s home, we spent the last 15 minutes of our time together pairing up across generations to encourage each other. Our oldest member, who happened to be our pastor, was paired with my 11-year-old grandson.
After our time of talking face to face in pairs, my pastor shared how my grandson had encouraged him. He was greatly touched by what God was showing my grandson and by what he had shared. I’m sure my grandson was also encouraged to be able to have some rare one-on-one time with our elderly pastor, gleaning from his wisdom.
This week or in the coming days, I wonder if each of us intentionally tried to meet with someone younger or older than us to spend time with them or to share words of encouragement, how we could impact that person for Christ.
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” The melody and words of this beloved song I learned as a child are coming to mind as I write this post.
I am challenged to want to be a faithful encourager with whomever God puts in my path, sharing my testimony of faith.
I hope you are, too.
Think about this: Our lives matter in God’s great plan.
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