Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice!
Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy
kiss. (II Corinthians 13:11-12)
In some
ways, today’s topic is the opposite of yesterday’s. Instead of attacking one
another and publicly declare bad things about each other, we are to encourage each
other. To follow the etymology back, we are to put courage in others, which means to put heartedness into one another.
One of the
descriptions of King David was that he was a man after God’s own heart. His son,
Solomon was accused of not serving God with his whole heart. That doesn’t mean
that everything David did was right, but even in his wrongdoings, he didn’t
abandon God. When his wrongdoing was brought before him, he repented. Solomon served
other gods.
God call us
to love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our
strength. There are times when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
That’s when we need someone to come along and awaken our courage or give us
some of theirs.
Each
situation and person is different, but here’s something to consider. Discouragement
is “an
attempt to prevent something by showing disapproval or creating difficulties;
deterrent.”[1] So, if we are to
encourage one another, we need to show approval for one another (even if we don’t
approve of what the other is doing.)
If we are to encourage one another, we
need to reduce or eliminate difficulties, or show that they are not the problem
the other believes them to be. This doesn’t mean pretending that the problem isn’t
real. It means starting with the reassurance and reminder that God is in
control. To the current “crisis” we can say, “Yes, there’s a nasty contagious
disease out there that can do some real damage to some folks.” Our next
statement must be “But God is in control. He still loves you. No matter what
happens to you, those two facts do not change.”
And the same
must be said as you or I face whatever personal crises we encounter. I’m moving
next week, and I find myself wondering whether gas stations will have gas,
whether restaurants will provide meals, or a hotel a place to stay overnight. When
I get home, I need to find a job in Erie. My first book is being published
within the next couple of weeks (possibly.) My second book requires that I do all
the work I’ve just finished on the first book all over again. The end of my
second book has changed in a way that requires a complete rethinking of my
third book. My third book requires that I do all the work I’ve done on the
first and second all over again. I’ve put a lot of time and money into becoming
a writer, and the statistics for success are really, really low. I need to lose
weight and get in better shape. The list could go on for days if I let
discouragement get the bit in its teeth.
This is the
reason I ask people to pray for me in terms of wisdom, direction, and attitude.
Really, it’s a request for encouragement in a good direction. A pat on the back
and “You can do it!” isn’t helpful if the “it” is the wrong thing or in the
wrong direction. Wisdom is needed. Direction is needed. It’s also hard on
everyone else if you rely on them for constant encouragement, we need to
pray that our attitudes be one that recognizes God’s control and love and that
we learn to encourage ourselves, which means that we maintain our attitude of trust
in God’s control and love. I don’t have much problem believing that God is in
control, but I struggle to believe that He loves me. Attitude, attitude,
attitude.
So, my message
to you today is that God is in control. He loves you. Everything else is
temporary. It may not be easy, but when it’s over, God will still be in
control, and He will still love you.
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