|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
|
Encouragement
So this past Friday, CT topic at H2O was encouragement. Great, right? Another time for discussion about a topic that could not be anymore obvious. Encouragement = good. Discouragement = bad. End of story, now go live it out, right? Well, that was my attitude beginning it, but praise God for opportunities to learn, even if they might be insignificant things.
We began the time by making sure everyone was on the same page. First and most obvious point of discussion: How do you define encouragement? General consensus was along the lines of the dictionary definition of "the expression of approval and support". Duh. Encouragement involved a pat on the back, the "good job" comments, and the "it's okay you messed up, you'll be awesome next time" cheer-ups. Everyone was still in agreement.
The core Scripture for discussion was found in Hebrews 10:19-25. We discussed various aspects of encouragement, and the discussion seemed pretty standard. But then, as God brought another passage to mind, I began to wonder: Does encouragement need to be positive? Compare:
Hebrews 10:24 - "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."
and
Ephesians 4:29 - "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear"
with
"the expression of approval and support"
I'm sorry Mr. Webster, but in the comparison test with the Bible, you have been proven wrong. What God taught me that night, right then, is that encouragement is not defined by feeling. Encouragement is an action done to provoke a fellow believer into love and good deeds. It is an action done for the good of edification according to the need of the moment, for the purpose of grace! The purpose that God commands us to encourage is not so that all Christians will become positive thinkers, and we can help one another feel good. No way! In fact, encouragement sometimes (if not most of the time) REQUIRES that we do NOT feel good. When was the last time you were PROVOKED to love and good deeds, and it was something that felt good. Edification implies building up. Building up is NOT natural. If it was, we would all be super Christians. Now, positive affirmation is definitely preferred in certain situations, sure. But encouragement is not exclusive to positivity. Reprimanding a brother or sister in love is just as much encouragement by God's definition as is a "Get Well Soon" card.
I think it's important to remember this, because all too often I tip-toe around certain issues because it might make someone feel bad. And feeling bad was not what God intended, right? Not always. For the furthering of God's kingdom, sometimes it is required that we hurt. So by all means, encourage me, even if it's not pleasant. How awesome it would be to know that I was truly being encouraged by my brothers and sisters, that I was being edified and stimulated to love and good deeds, rather than just made to feel good.
Webster requires encouragement to contain approval or support. God only demands that it build up your brother or sister. Both involve the "pat on the back", it's just that sometimes, God's hurts a little.
| | |
| Okay, sorry it took so long.
"...for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh."
In
Christian circles, don't you often find that people tend to rank the
spirituality of a person based on the language used in their prayers?
If you used big long words found in the Bible, you got a 10. If your
prayers were along the lines of "Dear God, thank you for this day.
Amen.", you got a 1 - and everything else in between. I used to really
get annoyed at this. A "judge not, that ye be not judged" type of
mentality. After all, who are you to tell me or anyone else that we're
not spritual just because we're not orators.
Throughout the last
few weeks, I began to realize that there was much truth to what these
people were doing. This verse, Matthew 12:34, came to mind. What you
say has a direct correlation to what is in your heart. The reason that
people are able to pray so Biblically is because their hearts are
absolutely full of God's word.
And spotlight on me. Why haven't
I been able to update this xanga this past week? To be honest, I did
sit down and try writing a few things but was met with writer's block.
Why in the world couldn't I write, when I had absolute freedom to write
about anything?! Well, I guess it'll suffice to say that the focus of
my life recently has not been what it should be. School, friends,
relaxation, hobbies and pretty much everything had overtaken God as
number 1 in my life - and this was made apparent when I tried to relate
things in life to the Bible. I could go on for days about shoes,
airsoft, bodybuilding, or computer architecture because quite frankly,
that was what comprised the "abundance of my heart".
So this
update is more of a confession and public commitment to make a change.
How does one change the abundance of the heart? My priority must be
God. But simply saying that "God is #1 in my life" is not going to do
squat. It's going to be a long, grueling process throughout which I
expect to fail often, but will continue to push through. I believe that
discipline is a very important character trait to have, so fortunately
it's one I already like to train in my life. So for the sake of my
spiritual health and to restore the correct state of my heart and mind,
here is my commitment to change:
Starting tonight, I will sleep
at 12 and wake up at 8am everyday. It doesn't matter if class is not
until 11am, I will be up at 8. This will not only allow me time to eat
breakfast (which is essential to a healthy diet), but will more
importantly allow me to start my day off the right way. By beginning
the day with God, perhaps I can remained focused on Him throughout.
And when I get distracted or side-tracked, I'll remember something Peter Kim asked me as my accountability partner 2 years ago.
"Is what you're living for worth Christ dying for?"
| | |
| And here you are.
It is getting late, so no posts yet except to say hi and welcome :).
This is not a site for me to prove to you that I am doing my devotions, for whether or not I spend quiet time with God is strictly between the two of us. This is not a site to show off how much I know about anything. In fact, it is quite the opposite. This site is to prove that I do NOT know everything and to try to bring myself as close to everything as is possible. :D
I do not guarantee that everything posted here will be related directly to Christianity, but I would expect that much of it would be. After all, when God has impacted every aspect of my life, how can any substantial decision be made without first consulting Him?
| | |
|
