From My Daily Reading: Be an Encourager!

Acts 20:1-3

The Apostle Paul was a big deal!

Pharisee of the Pharisees, and church persecutor before he met Christ, became a believer, and was forever changed.

Then…He instead of a persecutor, he became an encourager!

He became a missionary to the gentile nations, miracle worker, church planter, and author of 2/3 of the New Testament.

Paul was certainly the real deal.

There is much we could read and say about what Paul did in during his time on this earth.  There is much that stands out.

But in all that stands out to me about Paul, perhaps non so much as this…

“While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through..”

He was not such a big deal, that he was to big to encourage others.

God may use you to do great things.  He may use you in many different ways.  He will give you abilities, talents, and opportunities if you allow Him and make yourself available. He may use you in ways that are small to you, or huge to you.  No matter what God allows you to be a part of, if Paul was not to big to be an encourager, neither are you!

We must, like Paul, remember that is God working through us and it is not of our own strength or ability that accomplish God’s work.  We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we aught to think.

Offering encouragement to others does not take great strength or even time.

But perhaps there is no greater purpose that you or I can serve, than as an encourager of others.

While it is certainly true that God has gifted some with a special ability to encourage, there is no one that cannot or should not take the opportunity to encourage others.

Some may say:

“Okay, so you can’t be to big or great to be an encourager, but you don’t know what I have been through, you don’t know how many trials and challenges I have to deal with, I really can’t be an encourager of others, because I am the one who needs encouragement.

While we all appreciate encouraging words, and sometimes need it more than other times, just as we are never to high and mighty to offer encougament, we are also never to low to be an encourager of others.

May I remind you of Paul’s trials

A thorn in the flesh (exactly what that was we don’t know) that God did not remove.

5 times beaten with 39 lashes.

3 times beaten with rods

1 time stoned and left for dead, another time nearly stoned

5 times there was a plot or plan to kill/assasinate him

3 times shipwrecked

1 time bitten by a venomous snake.

Chased out of town numerous times.

And even others that perhaps were not documented.

My point…no matter what you are going through personally, there is always time and opportunity to encourage others passionately.

In fact it is when you have been through it that your testimony can be in many ways an even greater encouragement to others; and you have a greater emphapty and compassion for those that are going through tough times.

No matter where you are, who you are, or what you are doing, you can find time to encourage others.

Paul certainly did.

There is not a time nor a place where encouragement is not needed.

You never know just exactly is in desperate need of an encouarging word.

Ask the Lord to help you be an intentional encourager everywhere you go today!