“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)
I enjoy being a devotional writer, a ministry I started for my Bible fellowship class nearly twenty years ago, and have continued each week since then. My mailing list has grown over the years and several publishers re-direct to their audiences in the thousands over six continents.
I am humbled with the feedback I get from people I have never met and never will, but whose lives I have impacted. One in particular, a man named Stephen in Bangalore, India writes me faithfully each week. His notes are such an encouragement to me.
Several years ago, I received a note from a man in Kenya. He said he was a new Christian and had been asked to lead the village’s weekly Bible study. He said he didn’t know what to use until he read my weekly Thoughts on Life and then used it to share with those in the village.
I am amazed that in this new world of international electronic communication that I can sit at my desk and reach the most remote places in the world for Jesus. With humility, I thank God that I can do this ministry.
My only goal is to encourage others in their faith and they in turn encourage me. Encouragement is one of the greatest powers in the world. We all need it. Sharing a kind or positive word, paying a compliment, giving a hug or a pat on the back, recognizing someone for a job well done. These are all powerful ways to boost the mental and spiritual state of those around you.
The writer of Hebrews says it well. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Encouraging others is a way to stir them up to love and perform good works. That’s pretty powerful stuff especially in a world that seems geared toward tearing us down. Encouraging Someone Is easy, but powerful. It just doesn’t take much to encourage others.
How much effort is it really? Drop a note, send an email, publicly praise someone. None of these take much time, money or effort. Yet they can stir us up to love and good works.
Encourage someone today and be prepared to receive back even more. In addition to making others day, it will make you feel so good when you are in a mood of encouragement.
