Who am I to say something? Maybe you’ve had my same thought. I believe God has a plan for all of us. We are in this world by His design and for a reason. He has something for all of us to do, say or be. Who am I? I am Jesus’ follower. And part of following is to share and encourage others along the way. So yes, I have something to say. I pray what I say and do will encourage others to follow Him too. E=Encourage.
Jesus: our Chief Encourager! He met people in their messes and said “come, follow me”. Ever wonder if He commanded this of you whether you’d follow? I do. But then I realized, He is asking this of me each day. Every day we are called to follow Him in all we say and do. Is my life a reflection of His calling? I hope so. But a little encouragement along the way always helps.
First and foremost, God offers encouragement through His Word as we discussed last week. No matter what I read or where I am in the Bible, there is a nugget of truth, hope, conviction or direction. I dig in first thing in the morning to set my mind and find God’s direction for the day. But He sends encouragement in other ways as well. I find God in sunsets, the words of a child or a timely song on the radio. How does God encourage you?
These small hugs of encouragement along His path are sacred and precious. These additional gifts of grace are meant to buoy us along. They are for us alone. But as His follower, I think God wants us to open our eyes, ears and mouths to be someone else’s encouragement too. We are not only meant to receive but also to give encouragement.
But how? Little things make a big difference in someone else’s world. It’s an affirming whisper to the child acting out of love. It’s the Bible verse easing a friend’s fear. It’s stepping out of our comfort zone with a helping hand. It’s following Him without fear; motivating others to do the same.
Encouraging others by speaking or doing what God call us to is following. By sharing, caring and lifting others up, we shine God’s light through us. Many have written about this better than I. God inspired me today with Matthew West’s song Something to Say. Check it out and let it encourage you too! Pay attention to God’s motivating whispers and allow God to encourage others through you.
As we begin to follow Jesus, it’s about how to follow. We continue learning as we follow Him with our lives. But as we grow as His followers, let’s inspire others to join us. Let’s model Jesus’ perfect example and encourage others to follow the path He uniquely created for them.
Now, what will you say today?
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. ~1 Thessalonians 5:11
Linking up with Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart