3 Points to Ponder
- Encouragement is the secret sauce to a greater life. It isn’t necessary, but when it is present, it makes everything taste better. How can you encourage someone you love this week?
- Although we won’t say it out loud, some of us fight the gift of encouragement as we somehow think it will grow pride or create complacency in the person. This is a flat-out lie. In your heart, what are your true feelings towards encouragement? What is holding you back from doing it more often?
- It is easy to weaponize someone’s weakness and harder to praise someone’s gifts. How can you better equip yourself to see the gift over the weakness this week? What are the barriers that need to be removed for genuine encouragement to flow freely from you in this next season?
2 Quotes to Share
“Encourage one another. Many times a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept people on their feet.” – Charles R. Swindoll
“We aren’t here to one-up one another but to help one another up.” -Ann Voskamp
1 Story of Impact
In the Book of Acts, we are introduced to a man named Joseph, whom the disciples called Barnabus. Why would a group of people call someone a different name? The first time we are introduced to Barnabus, he is selling a field he owned and bringing all the money to the apostles to use for those in need. Then later, there is a man named Saul who has been persecuting early Jesus followers but has an incredible, life-changing encounter with Christ. When Saul goes to the disciples to join the movement, they want nothing to do with Saul as they have all heard the stories. That is until Barnabus steps in and vouches for the authenticity of Saul’s conversion. The disciples listen. Next, Paul (formerly Saul) and Barnabus go on a mission, spreading the Gospel movement to unreached places. Through this, there is another man named John Mark, who earlier abandoned the mission, but had a change of heart and wanted to rejoin again. Who is the one to see the potential in John Mark? That’s right, our friend Barnabus. And who later went on to write the gospel book of Mark? John Mark. Do you know what Barnabus means? Son of Encouragement! No doubt, Barnabus earned this name through his steadfast encouragement of others, and we are forever changed because of his acts of seeing and calling out the good in others. In the dead of winter, it is easy to navel gaze and become grumpy. But, to be people for impact, encouragement is the rocket fuel. Encouragement has the opportunity to lift others from a dark place and in turn, your spirits are lifted as well. Who needs encouragement in your life right now? How can you be a Barnabus to someone who needs to hear your voice right now? Together, this week, let’s choose to see and say the good in someone before we say anything else. Try it. When you see someone, tell them something encouraging before saying anything else and see how the world changes for the better.
