“That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,” (Colossians 2:2)
Marion Gilbert tells a funny little story. He says, “One morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected delivery service, I fed him some treats. The following morning, I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers. I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners.” Indeed, a little encouragement goes a long way.
Reading through the book of Acts in the Bible we will notice many occasions where people are encouraged in their faith. Often, we read of how the apostle Paul revisited the churches he planted to encourage them. One of Paul’s early travel companions was a man called Joseph. He was a wealthy landowner who sold a field and brought the money to the early Church leaders, to be shared among the needy. Joseph was such an encourager that they changed his name to Barnabas, which means son of encouragement.
Encouragement is a vital ingredient in our walk with Jesus. Sometimes life becomes so bogged down with workload or difficulties that we take our eyes off the source of our reason for living. Sometimes loss or need so cloud our vision that we lose track of God’s purposes and forget that he is with us even in the fire. And sometimes we become so distracted by the lure of the world that we stumble along our God track.
So, be encouraged today to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. And be encouraged to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
“Dear Holy Spirit, I praise you that you are the Encourager. Thank you for your encouragement in my life; encouragement to continue walking in faith and serving your purposes. Thank you for the encouragement of your word that reminds me that you will never leave me or forsake me. You are always my Counsellor – the One alongside me every step of the way. Help me to also be an encourager. Help me to encourage other people to come to know the goodness of God for their lives and to continue serving you every day. Amen.”