Encourage

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new opportunity begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! THIS is going to be a great day! :)

This "Happy Friday" is not going to be anything new or profound. This is going to be a gentle reminder, perhaps a reawakening of the soul, to rise to be all we were created to be.

Earlier this week I was reading my book, Mentor Leader, by Tony Dungy. He was talking about the things a leader needs to do and on the list was "encourage others." And in that moment I went, "oh, yeah." You see, we all know we should be doing it - it is right and true...more on that in a second - however in the busyness of life, the struggles of day to day living, etc. it is easy - so very easy - to let things fall off the plate. Hopefully, this morning, we will all have an, "oh, yeah" moment! :)

Two things that are critically important before encouraging you to encourage others:
1. Where are YOU getting your encouragement? What things are you reading, listening to, studying to find encouragement? "What's in the well always comes up in the bucket." You can't give what you do not have. If you are not encouraged, finding real, meaningful encouragement in your daily walk, you can want to be an encourager all you want however you will be like the car with no gas. I can sit in that car and want it to go however until there is gas in the tank I will simply sit there and wish.

2. We must be intentional. We can't wait until we feel like encouraging others to do so. We need to act our way into feeling. It is a choice - which again, is something we do intentionally. In fact, doing something or nothing is an intentional act. I pray we will all choose to be encouragers. Yes, this is counter-culture today, sadly. The thing is, you and I were not called to be like the rest of the world. We are called and we were created to be the best we are capable of becoming to lift up and serve others. Let us be encouragers!

So I am going to lay this out real simply. Instead of just giving you my opinion and hoping it speaks to your heart, I am going to share some scriptures with you and then some quotes. Ultimately, you will then have to choose the life you want to live.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." - Ephesians 2:9

"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." - Romans 15:2

"And we urge you brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works" - Hebrews 10:24

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:31-31

"What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelations, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." - 1 Corinthians 14:26

"So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." - Romans 14:19

Please note what the Bible does not tell us to do - judge, criticize, tear down, etc. In fact, the Bible specifically speaks against each of these things. We are called, and created, to be encouragers! I pray we will honor this calling!

And some quotes to ponder...

"Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be." - Stephen R. Covey

"Instruction does much, but encouragement everything." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"One word of encouragement can be enough to spark someone's motivation to continue with a difficult challenge." - Roy T. Bennett

"The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body; use yours to lift someone up today." - Terri Ann Armstrong

"God is never a God of discouragement. When you have a discouraging spirit or train of thought in your mind, you can be sure it is not from God. He sometimes brings pain to his children - conviction over sin, or repentance over fallenness, or challenges that scare us, or visions of his holiness that overwhelm us. But God never brings discouragement." - John Ortberg

"Encouragement is like water to the soul, it makes everything grow." - Chris Burkmenn

"When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, life their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always." - Roy Bennett

"How can you love people without encouraging them?" - Unknown

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev