I don’t know how He works with you, but often when God is trying to get my attention He keeps sending me the same message. Maybe it’s a song, something I’ve read or a text from a friend but the underlying point is the same. When I notice the same points coming at me in different directions, I begin to perk up and pay attention.
Sometimes that’s God answering a specific prayer and sometimes it’s the next thing to do or write. For the last several days variations of the topic of encouragement have been popping up. For example, my children keep encouraging me to feed them snacks. Okay, okay. That’s just a little quarantine humor – it’s all right to laugh.
Seriously though, I have found myself being a party to messages that swirled around encouragement a few times lately. When we learned this week that Ohio schools were going to continue to be remote for the remainder of the year, I had to offer encouragement to my kids. I have a sneaking suspicion that most, if not all, teachers could use a little encouragement. As could concerned and overwhelmed parents. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I’ve had to encourage myself and the guys in my house to stay on some type of normal routine. We must continue to shower, go to bed at reasonable times, get some exercise and eat vegetables. It’s weird when all the days blend together and the reasons to do things like get dressed are hard to grasp. When we get sad about missing normal activity, some degree of encouragement is needed to keep us from slipping further into the dark.
A lot of people’s patience seems to be wearing thin right about now, too. I think it’s safe to say we all want life to return to normal. We want to go back to work, eat in restaurants and just do what we want. Unfortunately, instead of choosing to encourage or seek encouragement, many of us are choosing to be mean about how we convey those feelings. That bothers me tremendously but I’m not going to dig in that trough.
I am, however, going to mention that I heard a national medical expert with the right authority, boil the world’s current attitudes down to love versus fear. He suggests we should be trying to tip the scales in favor of love. I’ll grant you the space to make up your own mind but, personally, I’m inclined to agree with that assessment. Fear is fueled by uncertainty.
In my mind and heart, tipping the scales in favor of love requires encouragement not name calling and finger pointing. My immediate thought after having heard that was the scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, which tells us to comfort and build each other up.
That led me on a trip to Hebrews 10: 24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” I am thankful that we have found ways to virtually assemble during this period.
Consider one another. That means to think carefully about one another. Do we really think carefully about one another when we decide we’re going to refer to people we disagree with or don’t know by mean and often nasty names? Are we really thinking carefully about one another when we decide to make assumptions or share without verifying instead of researching for ourselves? Are we considering one another or are we just looking to validate our opinions?
God is commanding us to consider each other to stir up love and good works. This is how we tip the scales to love. To build each other up. To edify (to instruct or improve someone morally). To exhort (strongly encourage). Romans 14:19 says “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” In the King James version that scripture is actually under a subheading of “The Law of Love.”
Friends I believe it’s maybe more important right now than it’s been in a long time to be considerate and encouraging so that we are stirring up love and good works in the world. “Each other” includes all of us. It’s not a one-sided effort. It does not mean just the ordained ministers. It does not mean that I alone am responsible for encouraging others nor does it mean that I don’t need to be encouraged. It means we all need to encourage each other. Tearing each other down is not effective in stirring up love and good works.
Let me say it again, encouragement stirs up love. It tips the scales to love. Ephesians 4:29 says “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” The NIV translation, and I’m paraphrasing, says use words that are helpful for “building others up.”
If there was ever a time for encouragement this is it. We all need it. Most of us are navigating a world that quickly pivoted us into uncharted territory. When social distancing is keeping us apart, words take on even greater value. Choose them wisely. Words that encourage and stir up love. God didn’t call us to stir up fear. If we’re going to stir up something, let it be love.
