1 Thessalonians 5:13
Show them great respect and whole-hearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
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This is the 3rd part of the series "What does it mean to be an encourager?"
So far we've learned that to be an encourager, we need to:
1. Build Each Other Up
2. Honor/Respect Spiritual Leaders
And that leads us to today's verse.
The beginning of it elaborates a bit more on Respecting spiritual leaders. People who do God's work should be loved whole heartedly and shown great respect. It isn't an easy job or calling, but we are all so indebted to people who have answered that call, done what God told them, and helped lead us to our salvation (and also help us with our Christian lives there after).
Our third point on our checklist on how to encourage others is: Live Peacefully with Each Other.
If you think about it, it's not easy to live in peace with people... even people you love. They do things that drive you crazy at times. There are things you wish they would stop doing and sometimes you lose your cool (or is that just me....).
To encourage others is to live peacefully with them. Well, how can you do that?
1. Don't start quarrels over things that don't really matter.
Ever fight with someone over what TV show to watch... or something silly like that? Lots of times big, life changing arguements begin with a single nuisance. We've talked before about how sometimes little annoying qualities can lead to hate if not dealt with... well, sometimes it's not the OTHER PERSON that needs to be changed (that leaves US). If you really want to encourage someone, don't harm them by starting fights over little things that won't matter in a few years anyway.
2. Don't be selfish.
The laptop computer is mine.
That's just all there is to it.
When my husband gets on it, I get irritated. I'm going to admit it. It drives me nuts. When I'm irritated and wanting it back, I'm not encouraging him. He doesn't get on much, and when he does, he doesn't stay long, but still. Those little things can cause us to not live peacefully together.
3. Take the High Road... but don't brag about it.
Have you ever been in a 'fight', stopped fighting because you want to be the bigger person, but then tell people you stopped to be the bigger person? Yeah, that doesn't go over well with the other person. If you are in a disagreement with someone, it is best to not keep it going. You need to encourage everyone, even people you don't like. Don't give anyone a reason to be upset with you. Pray about it and move on.
4. Realize that not one is as "perfect" as you are... and move on.
Ok, so we know that only Jesus was ever perfect, but WE think we are more perfect than others at times. We think we know all the laws, sins, rules, etc to live a near perfect life. But we have to realize that no one can live up to 'OUR OWN" idea of 'perfect'. Once we realize that, we will understand that it's not good to harp on it. To encourage someone, we have to accept their weakness... and build up their strengths.
Tomorrow we will be talking about verse 5:14. I'm praying that this series is helping you in some way. It really is me.
God Bless You :)
Kelly
Amen thanks
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