“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sinʼs deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” Hebrews 3:12-14
Have you ever been in time where it seemed everything was going wrong? Maybe you were having a “bad day”, or just felt like everywhere you turned, you hit brick walls? And then, in that place, someone came along with a word of encouragement, a word of faith? “You can do it!” “You’re not alone!” “It’s going to work out!” Simple words, but spoken at the right time… can make ALL the difference! Like a ray of sunshine breaking in breaking in on a dark and gloomy day or the sweet sound of music that fills a music hall after a long silence… it changes EVERYTHING!
Your words (and actions) towards others, with the intent to encourage them, REALLY DO matter! Look at this passage in Hebrews chapter 3. Apparently, if we fail to intentionally, continually and courageously encourage one another, we are in danger of being hardened by sin’s deceitfulness! When we are alone in that gloomy day, we really do need the ray of sunshine to break through and remind us, the sun is still shining! It really is! We may not always see it, even if we don’t see it… it’s just on the other side of the clouds! There is hope, there is Light… and it’s the hope we have in Jesus!
Even if someone doesn’t seem to be having a hard time, they still need to hear an encouraging word… from you! God has ordained it this way… that we would be His agent of grace and strength to one another. We need each other! And, we must encourage one another. It’s a serious thing… especially as it concerns how we walk out our FAITH!
So, keep your eyes open. Who is around you? Who’s trying to follow Jesus? Encourage them! “It’s worth it!” “You’re doing a great job!” “I love what you shared!” “God is doing a good work in you!” “I see Jesus in you!” Your small-sounding, weak-feeling words may just be the dose of GRACE needed, to strengthen them on the path — and keep them from falling to the deceptions of sin!
Let your words today be life-giving and faith-filled. Let them be the Light of Jesus’ face shining on those around you! What’s a verse of Scripture that’s been particularly encouraging to you recently? Share it on this blog post! I would love to hear it!
God is good! And, He is Good to YOU!
Jessie Still 