Musings: 08/03/09, Encouragement, by John.

Encouragement, an Activating Force

I received a note of encouragement from Bernard about my musing on wisdom. In the note, he told me that he was a young Christian writer, and that he had written and published a book. He suggested I "check it out." I've done that. The premise of his book, and the book reports about it make it sound like a very useful and worthwhile book. I plan to get better acquainted with it.

An aside: Thank you, Bernard. I appreciate your encouragement, and I hope this "musing" encourages you to think and write more. Encouragement is so important to all of us though some think they need none.

My thought was engendered by a number of sources many of which happened in the last week. Our church considers all people equal in God's sight. We help indigent people as we can, and we don't delve into their problems. We just seek to do what Christ told us to do. We maintain a food and clothing pantry, and we see in their faces that our aid encouragesment them.

Romans 15:4 is one of about 60 times the Greek New Testament uses the word translated "encouragement." It's also used in John 14:16 where it is translated "comforter" in the King James Version and "counselor" in the NIV. Real encouragement comes from our Heavenly Father. In that section Jesus told His disciples He would not leave them "orphans," but that He would ask the Father to send them another Counselor, the Holy Spirit of God. We are to be as much like the Holy Spirit as we can be when we deal with the pains and problems of this world's people.

Phonetically I spell the word in Romans as "paraclesis" and in John is "parcletos." They are two forms of the same word. The basic meaning is "called to stand alongside." In the courts of that day, they didn't have witnesses for the defendant, but rather a person known to be of good character who would stand with the defendant and witness that he was a good person. Today, nothing is more comforting in a crisis than to have someone stand alongside you especially if it is a very powerful and loving person. No one on earth is so loving and powerful as God's Holy Spirit. He not only comforts and encourages us, God's Spirit also prays for us in language for which there are no words! (Romans 8:27). He constantly teaches us the ways of the Father, and directs our paths for us. There is no earthly encouragement like that! When we encourage others as Christians, we should know that we are doing God's work in God's Spirit!

Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Peacemakers channel Jesus' love and the encouragement of God's Spirit to others. Now, if you aren't an encourager, and you want to be, start by asking God to give you peace in Jesus. Then look about you, and see who you can encourage with God's message of hope for both the present and the future! Part of that encouragement will be to assure lost people that their past will be forgiven when they trust Jesus to change them and give them a new, eternal life. It takes only a moment to turn your life over to Jesus, but for so many of us, it is an exceedingly hard thing to do. Those of us who do it reap marvelous dividends in this life now, and we will continue throughout eternity! I think it was George Goebles who closed one of his TV shows saying, "It only take 14 muscles in your face to smile and 34 to frown, so let's frown all the time and get a lot of exercise!" I have no idea about the truth of that in any respect, but I know I am encouraged by the people I meet who have a cheerful smile that resonates from their hearts! I want my encouragement to others to bear the warmth of Jesus' love, and I want people to see it in my face. Be an encourager!