10/10- Friday- 1
Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11,14 18Therefore
encourage one another with these words. 11Therefore
encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 14And we
urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive,
encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Quote on Bonhoeffer: “God uses our work to strip away
self-centeredness, forcing us to focus beyond ourselves. No matter what we do our work becomes a form
of worship when we are working for God.
Then everything becomes a prayer.”
(“In Visible Fellowship” John Walker on “Life Together”).
Thoughts: One of the great purposes of the fellowship is to
encourage one another. In a world full
of bad news- new plagues, new wars, new failures the great calling of the
church is to help us to look up. The
hour of worship- is an hour of prayer/focus that “calls us from a world of
care.” The Bible says not only that you
are not alone- but if you can possibly believe this- the Creator of the
universe loves you. In the fullness of
His omniscience and providential care- He cares for you. The great news is He shows His care by coming
in Christ and dying on the cross- to make a way past our past. This passage gives some concrete ways to
encourage in the fellowship (from vs. 14): 1) Warn those who are doing nothing-
we are called to use our talents for a greater cause- as long as we can
physically and mentally do so. Work is a
gift to bend our will to a higher cause and to earn money to not just provide
for our needs but to encourage others; Idleness can lead to disruptiveness-
forgetting that the world does not revolve around us but others have a calling
that they must answer; 2) Those who are
disheartened are to be encouraged so that they will not give up in their true
hope; This involves time and an eye to pay attention to those who may be
discouraged; 3) Help the weak. Here the
weakness is not described. It could be
physical, financial, mental, social, or spiritual weakness. The ones in the flock limping along at the
end- are to be aided. 4) Be patient with
everyone. The more busy we are, the
harder this is. Yet the call to patience
is a call to believe the interruptions of life are actually important; it is a humbling realization to understand
that our own agenda is not the all- important issue in life. The fellowship is built up by such encouraging things.
Prayer: Lord, send your Spirit and your people to encourage
me. Lift up my head so that I may be the
lifter of another’s head. Use your
church to help us to purposefully be mutually encouraged in you.
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