Encourage June 9, 2009

For a lot of kids, yesterday was the first real day of summer. In my house, this was true. It started off in rare form. Timm woke up late for his weightlifting class. Dad had to pound on the front door to wake him up. He wasn’t late, but he didn’t get any breakfast. He came home with some fun stories of his first day with the “big boys” as I like to call them. They put all the football players together from high school down to junior high. The older boys keep a watch on the younger ones, making sure they are correctly doing each machine and encouraging them. Timm seemed to really like it, but man was he sore! I think he started out gung-ho and they let him go. Now today his muscles will pay for it.

That seems like how God wants us to be. God wants us to encourage new Christians by praying for them, teaching them through examples of our lives and through God’s word and encouraging them by being with them and hanging out with them. We older Christians sometimes get wrapped up in that that we forget that we were in the same place as the new Christians are. We were hungry to know more, but just couldn’t figure out where to begin. New Christians dive in to the Word, but because they are so new at it, if there is no one to help them understand it, they may get discouraged. Their “muscles” will tighten up and if we are not careful, they will lose the little knowledge they have and go back to their old lives.

Now hopefully, Timm will learn a little something from his pain. I think he will go back tomorrow, but maybe with some encouragement he will not do too much his first day. He will be a bit more savvy about how much to lift. It would be wonderful if an older player takes Timm under his wing and helps him out. I pray he won’t get discouraged about how much he should lift at once. I also pray that new Christians won’t get discouraged on their new path. Hopefully a more seasoned Christian veteran will step up and lead a Bible Study for new Christians or take a new Christian under their wing and help them. Will you take this challenge to heart today?

I Thessalonians 5:9 – 18 says “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."