Something that’s been on my mind lately is the power of encouragement. When I used to help teach a Bible study, I picked the topic of encouragement as one of the first areas to teach about. I’m very passionate about this topic, and I truly love talking about it because I believe it is important for Christians to know, recognize, and use the power of encouragement. Please forgive me if any of this is unorganized or hard to follow, I’ll try to make this easy to read.

First I’d ask you some questions:
How do you respond to encouragement?
Do you hang out with or interact with people that are encouraging?
Are you getting the right kind of encouragement from people?

Here’s a situation for you. Have you ever had a sin or area of your life you struggled in constantly, and though you actively pursued growth in that area, you never felt you were making progress? Now imagine, have you ever had someone come to you, either in public or private, and say, even point out where you’ve grown in that area? Isn’t it encouraging?! I’ll be struggling and think that I’m fighting for a lost cause, only to have someone point out that I’m actually winning the battle by God’s grace. It fuels me, gives me the desire to keep pressing forward and fighting for what is right. It also makes me feel loved, that that person loved me enough to tell me that, and ultimately that God loved me enough to use that person in that way in my life. Does that make sense?

Here’s what I’m guilty of: Seeing and having an opportunity to encourage someone and not doing it. That’s sinning by omission isn’t it? If God’s put it on my heart to speak into that person’s life, but I don’t because I’m lazy, prideful, or scared? We are the church, and are called to build each other up and encourage one another.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.-1Thessalonians 5:11

God’s church (I hesitate to use the word churches because I’m talking about the church as a whole and not individual bodies so much….you can apply this to the individual) should be filled with some of the most encouraging people in the world. We have a savior who died for our sins, and loved us enough to pursue a relationship with us. That alone encourages me, and we should be reminding each other of this fact constantly! We live for more than our jobs, families, or schools; we live for a living God and for His glory. Christians should be concerned on some level for each other’s souls and walks with God. Caring and loving each other enough to build into each other’s lives. I’ve heard it said, and I’d have to agree on some level, that Christians are more likely to shoot their wounded than the world is. When we should encourage, we go for the throat instead. We’re supposed to be light in this dark world, and the world notices those actions. In my life I’ve had seasons where I’ll begin to shun my Christian friends because I feel more condemned and unloved by them than when I’m around nonbelievers. It’s sad, but it’s true that the world can often show us up in this area.

Here’s an analogy. Say the church is a stove filled with a myriad of hot coals that individually represent a Christian. What happens if a coal leaves the stove? It will cool, right? If you’re a coal that’s hot and closer to the source of heat, shouldn’t you try to heat up those coals further from it? The coal should point the other to the source of heat.

To get even more specific in encouragement, it should be said that there is also bad encouragement. You can be encouraged to sin, but is that blessing you? We should be careful in how and what we encourage people about.
I have so many thoughts on this topic, and could be exhaustive, but here’s the main point I want to get across. We Christians make up the church are called to build each other up and encourage one another. We have been shown the greatest act of love imaginable with God sending His son to die for us. We should be the most loving people in this world because we know this truth! Please, I beg you, if you have a chance to be a blessing or an encouragement to somebody in your life, do it! Also, if God has been working in your life, please share it with the rest of the church that we may rejoice with you. We are encouraged when we see God at work, and we can give God praise for it! Let us SHINE. Shine in a way that’s not afraid to be different, but in a way that God asks us to.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.-Hebrews 12:1

As I see it, since we’re running this race together and we’re all going to the same place ultimately, we should help one another along the way as God allows us to.

Please think about that! Ask yourself: Am I an encouraging person, and how can I be? Let us live for God and His glory!
I’d really love to hear your thoughts on this one. I’ve talked with many of you about this topic, and I learn so much from you.
God Bless!
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-jc

I wrote this yesterday and thought I'd share it with you.  I hope you can take some meaning from it!

God Bless,
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-james

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What is light, so crisp and clear?

It is pure, and creamy without blemish

Whiter than virgin snow falling from up there

The darker sky on stars we wish

It is suspended, unattached and without strings

We cannot see its full effect as it fills the void

Revealing the crevices, nooks, such things

Shadows flee to their crannies to avoid

Light shed reveals truth, unearthing

Secrets and the fear that suffocate them

Brings hope to the surface, like rebirthing

Beasts within are slain, we play a requiem

Shining though us, illuminating all

Standing, shivering naked while being pierced

It hurts, like the pulling of a scab, steady and gentle

Ultimately bringing relief after pain so fierce

It searches and has no preference

Covering all equally as it spreads its course

Light comes from somewhere, it must have reference

Never independent it must have a source

Wash over me light, fill me with truth!

Tired of sitting in dark corners playing with scorpions

Fill my eyes to see, see You are enough!

Stop up my ears from heeding the world’s opinions

Shatter the shadows over my eyes, let me see You!

My soul has a vast expanse I cannot fill

I am weary of trying, there’s nothing I can do

Only You my Lord and King according to Your Will

Can fill me with Your light and reveal

Yourself to me, changing me from inside

Placing upon my heart Your loving seal

I trust in You, in You I will abide

Hey!!!! I'm on Coxandfrith and really want to do some writing.  Does anybody still read this?  I couldn't write on it for a long time because it was all translated into Japanese and I didn't take the time to find out how to convert it back...also, can anybody say "BUSY" ? I've been super busy!!!!
Write something, send me a comment, or even better-ASK A QUESTION!!! Corey and I love answering questions, and we'll do it in our unique if not quirky style.  We've also taken to answering questions by video, so if you ask a question good enough, we'll answer the question with raw video....it's so much fun, I really hope you ask some questions.  Nothing's changed, and though we've both matured and grown a lot, we can still answer questions and be just as entertaining :) I'm going to post at least one of our recent videos, so check it out!

God Bless,
-james