sup guys,
Roughly a year ago I made a decision that marked the switch between what close friends call "old edward" and "new edward." It wasn't simply a greater effort on my part to be more sociable, which is what it looked like on the surface. It was a decision that people, their lives, and their problems should matter to me. What followed was a storm of me asking for prayer requests and actively pursuing people with encouragements.
For a while now, i've noticed myself drifting from that. while I still retained that social openness, i find myself praying less and less for people and, in general, stopped caring with the same degree of passion. I could blame it on busy'ness of life , but life's always gonna be busy isn't it? That's no excuse. So I've begun praying for myself to return to the same passions and determination to be a blessing I possessed a year ago. I'd like to encourage everyone to join me in this too.
If I can put it in simple words, it's a matter of being considerate. It's about what Paul termed "prophesying," which had relatively little to do with fortune telling (as most ppl understand prophecies) and everything to do with speaking God's truth out of love into each other's lives. It's a gift we should ALL cultivate. I'm reminded of Jesus' mandate to peter right before his triple denial of the Christ, "when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." The wonderful thing about encouragement is the domino effect it has on the christian community. As one person is encouraged, they are in turn, emboldened to encourage others. This is what I want to see. We talk so much about community building and inreaching but before that can get off the ground, we need to start a culture of encouragement.
Encouragement for the week, be encouraging. Speaking from personal experience, I can think of no better remedy for loneliness than making a genuine effort to dispel loneliness in others.
Have a happy wednesday!
Edward
"But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and consolation...the one who prophesies builds up the church" - 1 Corinthians 14:3-4
"We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him..." - 2 Corinthians 7:7
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ...do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." - Philippians 2:1-4
How to pick puppies (taste test at 0:27)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxiESl-VY5E&feature=related
No comments:
Post a Comment