April 17, 2024
Wednesday
There are many people who are enormously famous and successful in their lives. We measure that success in influence. Some can command crowds of thousands to hear them sing or perform. Some have more employees in their companies than those thousands. We say they are gifted.
But do you think that they were able to do all that they have without any help? Were there parents encouraging? Teachers who believed in them. Coaches who smoothed off the edges? Friends who urged them forward? Of course, there were. Is there anything the church can learn from this?
Too often, we, the people in the church, are self critical. There seems to be a virtue in telling others how bad they are. So, we say how bad we are, hoping that this will make us better. Do you think that happened with Taylor Swift? Do you think she was motivated by others telling her how bad she was? Sure, she gets criticism now. It doesn't matter. She has already gone beyond the dreams of others. Criticism now is like a gnat hitting a freight train head on.
Are we so afraid that people will be proud of how far they have come in their Christian lives that they will no longer take another step? Can we say to one another, "good job," without thinking we are doing them damage? Evidently, many people believe that beating people down will make them stronger. Surely adversity does make people stronger but they also need encouragement to fight on. They need someone who believes they can go forward.
Telling people they have done a good job isn't a concession. It should be the hope of everyone. We should be telling each other, "I want you to succeed. I believe you can." Concessions should come when others quit getting up after they have fallen. As long as they keep getting up, we need to encourage them.
Many times people say to me, "I haven't been in church for a long time." My response is, "I am just glad you are here today." They don't need to be beaten for doing the right thing. They need encouragement.
The Bible says this too:
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NASB 2020) 24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
So, look for someone to encourage today. On Sunday, when you see people you haven't seen in some time, encourage them. They may have taken all their energy just to get there. They may be embarrassed for not being there for some time. They may be afraid that someone will tell them how bad they have been.
I once heard two brothers chide another youth. They said, "Hey, Bill (not his real name), I haven't seen you since you made that commitment at camp. Guess it wasn't a real commitment, huh?" I never saw that youth again in church. It didn't matter what I said after that. That youth had been cut to the core. He wasn't coming back.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB 2020) 11 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.
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