Encouragement
Week 32 Devotional
OK Men,
What helps you get through your day? Early morning work outs? A designated time for prayer or scripture? Afternoon hits of caffeine? Anything that gets you to “quitting time” quickly? Is giving encouragement any kind of daily necessity? Probably not, but maybe it should be! Encouragement breathes life and motivation into the hearts of others. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” In the business world, corporations spend loads of money on training courses for their leaders, focusing on how to build up, inspire, and get the most from their teams of employees. Much of it centers around simple encouragement.
Giving encouragement is biblical. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” Providing encouragement is something anyone can do. When given, it uplifts, inspires, and can even remind others of who they were created to be. Encouragement often shows that you can see the God given qualities within someone, when they can’t see it in themselves. Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous nourish many.” Compliments and kind words fuel a person’s heart the way a meal fuels one’s body. Encouragement is a kind gesture and a reminder of the truth. It can have a profound impact on someone because you simply never know what they might be going through and how desperately they need to hear it.
I’ve experienced discouraging seasons of life when I was dying for some kind of encouragement. One stemmed from a lack of support and appreciation in the workplace. I was working hard, leading a team, and for a year my efforts went unnoticed and unmentioned. I lost motivation and became angry. Later, I spent a weekend staffing a Christian men’s retreat. As I served, a couple different men pulled me aside and said, “I see you,” and “You’re doing a great job!” These few simple words brought tears to my eyes. It was such a small gesture, but it made me feel appreciated and wanted. These men had no idea how much those kind words built me up. Their encouragement really was sweet to my soul, and I believe it had a healing effect on me. But it begs the question, how many other men out there are silently suffering, constantly feeling unappreciated for all their efforts?
There is no doubt those men nourished me with encouragement that weekend. It impacted my heart and made me see how vital men’s communities are. I experienced brotherly love and witnessed the benefits of building each other up in the Lord. Isaiah 41:6 says, “They help each other and say to their companions, ‘Be strong!’” That ministry frequently modeled this, saying, “Be strong!” as encouragement. The church needs to be built up, and as God’s men, we are responsible for leading his church, whether it’s from the pulpit or not. God’s men need encouragement because we have an enemy who is always trying to tear us down.
Something I have learned since that season is that I was unknowingly treading dangerous ground. I was looking to others for fulfillment, self-worth, and value, but I should have been looking to God for those things. I was seeking compliments, pats on the back, awards and affirmations to “fill my cup”. I had lost sight of the truth that my worth is found in God. I believed the enemy when he made me feel like my cup was empty; like the Lord was withholding something from me. It’s the same lie he told Eve in the Garden. The serpent took a generous offer from God, “You can eat from any tree in the Garden except for one,” and convinced her that God was withholding good things. Those were lies. God is not withholding any of his love from us. His Spirit of power and love doesn’t leave us. I was assuming that if I was empty, then God had not been poured into me. The truth was that God’s love was always being poured out for me, but I wasn’t seeking him enough to recognize it. Sometimes encouragement doesn’t come from the people we want it to. However, support is always found in Christ. The more I seek God, the more of his love I can feel. It’s only then that I’m equipped to pour that same love out for others.
Let’s be real here. Offering encouragement might be a struggle for you. Perhaps life giving words were never spoken to you growing up. Maybe just the thought of encouraging others is uncomfortable. What if one or two steps outside of your comfort zone could shatter generational curses? What new life could you create within your family by building them up more often? How often do you compliment your wife? How often do you encourage your children? How often are they ignored because phones or tv screens get too much attention? What kind of messages are they receiving from your anger, annoyance, or silence? It’s not messages that build up or encourage. Encouragement will be hard if your heart is full of anger and apathy. It will be difficult to build others up if your heart lacks compassion and gratitude. Maybe your heart has been hardened from deep wounds. Maybe you’re in the middle of a season of loss, sadness, or anxiety. Maybe you can’t offer encouragement to others because you need it yourself first.
God knows you as his son. You have never been unseen, unheard, or unloved. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” You, a son of God, are a chosen, royal, and special possession! When describing how the Father cares and provides for the birds, Jesus says in Matthew 5:31, “You are worth more than many sparrows.” God cares for you because he intentionally created you. If you struggle to believe this, and feel like your cup is empty, I encourage you to seek him. Ask him to show you his love. Ask him to be refreshed and filled with encouragement. Because when we remember who we are to Him, we can be encouraged to shed a little more light in the darkness.
Jesus is our biggest supporter. He loves us more than anyone else ever could. He is always offering us encouragement through his love and grace. James 4:11 says, “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” When Jesus personally modeled these, it encouraged others to turn away from their lives of sin. Perhaps we can also encourage others by simply showing a little more compassion and mercy. Jesus gives hope. We too can offer hope by sitting with the downtrodden in trying seasons. Jesus forgives. We too can release others from their wrongs, offering them peace and reconciliation. Jesus loves. We too can put others’ needs before our own, showing them that they matter, and that they are seen and cared for. Hope, forgiveness, and love can all provide encouragement when we don’t have the right words.
When people are built up, there’s a joy and appreciation that emanates back from them. Giving encouragement is a simple and heartfelt way to do that. It’s something that the men of God can practice a little more often, especially if we’re serious about trying to live and act the way Jesus did. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” There is spiritual refreshment for you as you practice encouraging others!
If you enjoyed this devotional, consider Donating a Diet Dew! (aka “Buy Me a Coffee”)
There’s more below! Upgrade to a Paid Subscription to get access to the personal reflection and group discussion questions, as well as the Call to Action - a personal challenge to help you with this week’s theme of Encouragement!
