“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. . . . Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. . . . The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14, 24
These verses of Scripture are written for all believers, not just for women, but women often find themselves in the role of encouragers, especially if the woman is married to a pastor. It’s certainly true in my home. Although he rarely expresses it, my husband greatly values my daily prayers for him. He says it is tremendously uplifting to know I pray that the Lord will guide and bless his work, making him diligent, patient, faithful, wise, and persistent.
If you have children, you see even more clearly the importance of encouragement. Think how easily the very young are frustrated at not being able to tie shoes or button a jacket or read the book big sister is reading. We don’t need anyone to tell us to encourage and help them and praise them when they succeed. Adolescents and teenagers are no less in need of encouragement – to make wise choices, to use their gifts to the glory of God, to consider a career in service to the Lord.
Then there’s your husband’s congregation (or other ministry group). So many people around us are downhearted, even fearful, in this increasingly wicked and dangerous world. They, too, need encouragement. Often we find ourselves listening to their woes. But what can we do? We can’t usually solve their problems, can’t fix their ills, certainly can’t change the past which brings such difficult consequences. So what can we do?
We can encourage. Not with worldly “wisdom” but with the power of God’s Word, which always accomplishes his purpose. The brief focus verses of this devotion are just a sample of God’s “checklist for encouragers”. Read the whole of 1 Thessalonians 4:18 through Chapter 5. Paul wrote in 5:6b, 9, and 10, “Let us be alert and self-controlled. . . . Our Lord Jesus Christ. . .died for us so that. . .we may live together with him.” Here is our motivation. Here is our encouragement to take to heart the situations of those around us and be women who build up those in danger of falling. We do so because we ourselves are held up by our God’s righteous right hand.
So, we “live at peace with each other”, being humble and submitting to others out of reverence for Christ. Pride, strife, and self-centeredness can bring others down. So we carefully put our own desires aside to give time and attention to help others work through conflict, forgive, and serve the Lord in unity.
We also “warn those who are idle.” Sometimes we find it easy to complain about those who don’t participate, whether in their own well-being, in taking care of their families, in Bible study, or in church activities. Perhaps we even scold or nag them. But what more positive approach might we try? Let’s try speaking the truth to them in love, warning them of the consequences of failing in their personal responsibilities and, more importantly, in their spiritual connection to the Lord.
“Encourage the timid.” That’s a concept I don’t often think about. But there are those among us who are timid. They’re afraid to speak up in Bible class, perhaps reluctant to share a problem sin in their lives, even afraid to live an openly Christian life in this sinful world. What do we use to encourage such people? We use an attitude of selfless love and God’s powerful Word. We show them our own weaknesses so they feel comfortable sharing their struggles and then we share how God who has worked in our lives can work in theirs.
Similarly, we “help the weak.” We are “patient with everyone.” We show the love of Jesus in our attitudes toward those around us by caring about their situations and doing what we can to encourage them in godly living. And the comforting factor for us is that it is not somehow up to us to find the solutions. No, “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” We follow God’s will, and he does the work to improve the lives of those around us. So don’t be burdened if you find yourself in positions to encourage others; rather, rejoice that the Lord is using you to accomplish his will.
Ask the Lord
Dear Lord,
Help us as we encourage those around us to walk with you. Let us be a source of strength as we build one another up - not tear others down. Guide us to pray for our husbands, families, churches and communities, that they may also seek you. And then continue to be our encouragement as we do the work you have called us to do in this life. Amen.
