Pastor Dave's Corner-November 2011
By Pastor Dave Banfield | November 1, 2011
Giving Courage to One Another
How are you at encouraging others? If I were to rate my own efforts as an encourager on a scale of 1-10 I would have to give myself a 4. I am a below average encourager. It is something that I have to consciously work at, and when I get caught up in the demands of life it slips into the background. I really admire those people who seem to be effortless encouragers. They are an inspiration to me.
The word “encourage” means to instill with courage, spirit and hope. In other words, when we encourage someone we give them courage to face life. All of us need that. The demands of life can wear us down and cause us to drag through life. The opposite of being encouraged is being discouraged; or having our courage drained away. On numerous occasions in the New Testament we are instructed to encourage one another. It is an important part of helping each other advance in our journey of faith. There are a few general principles about encouraging one another that can help us all get better at this important aspect of our faith.
Encouragement must be genuine. We all know how hollow it sounds when someone tells us that we have done a good job and we know that we have not. In order for encouragement to give us courage it has to be real. Some of the best encouragement is when someone is honest with us. “You didn’t do a very good job with that assignment but here is a way that you can improve.” Coming along side of someone and helping them deal with the challenges of life is truly powerful.
Encouragement needs to be substantive. True encouragement is not just saying nice things to other people. It is recognizing specific things about that person. Paul was a master at this. He begins his letter to the Philippians with a classic example of genuine encouragement.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV)
Paul was specific about the reasons why he felt so positive about the Philippian believers. Too often we take the short cut and just give some general statement of encouragement. I guess that is better than nothing at all, but it doesn’t hold the power of targeted praise. Everyone wants to know that what they are doing matters and is appreciated by others.
Encouragement needs to happen regularly. The greatest complaint that many people have about their workplace is that they get little or no regular feedback. The shelf-life of encouragement is very short. It needs to be renewed often. Hebrews tells us to do it daily. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) Regular encouragement is one way to help each other stay on track spiritually. Regular encouragement keeps us from losing heart and giving up.
Encouragement needs to be personal. Have you ever wondered why Paul included lists of names at the end of some of his letters? I think that in part he did it to encourage individual believers. We all know what it feels like to be singled out in a positive way. I have always been impressed with the cross country coaches at East High School. At the end of the season “banquet” they take the time to say something positive about each athlete. I think that is what Paul was doing as well.
I want to get better at encouraging others. It is a huge growth area for me. It may be for you as well. Let us encourage one another to get better at encouraging one another. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
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