“But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.” (Deuteronomy 1:38)
When it comes to being an exhorter, observe two things:
- Exhortation is a neglected gift. No ministry is more needed in the church today, as that of encouragement. It’s so easy to find discouragement and so difficult to find encouragement. Even in the church, there are those who lack people skills and their conversations and comments are always negative; always fault finding. They’re always ready to tell you why something won’t work and point out how some program went wrong and aren’t interested in hearing and dialoging options.
- Exhortation is a needed gift. No matter how well things may be going, or how well someone looks on the outside, every one of us can use some encouragement. In fact, encouragement is so important that the whole church is to be involved in it. “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” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Church is a place where people should be picked up, not knocked down. We need to encourage people when they don’t need it, instead of waiting until they do. If you wait too long your encouragement may be too late. Don’t wait until something good happens to speak an encouraging word; make it a regular practice. “But I don’t know what to say,” you protest. Ask God for wisdom and you’ll get it. “The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary” (Isaiah 50:4).
Prayer
Lord, grant me the wisdom to encourage those around me on a daily basis, to bring them up not only when they are low, but to sustain them throughout the day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
