Jump Start # 1344

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

  Paul’s words to the Thessalonians are a wonderful reminder to you and I about the value and need to encourage each other. Encouragement is oxygen to our souls. We all need encouragement. The world has a way of deflating us and leaving us flat on the ground. Sometimes even at home, the atmosphere is not the way it should be. A person can easily feel that they are a failure and are incapable of doing anything right if he believes all the things he hears in a day.

Watching some of the events that have taken place this week in Baltimore illustrates how hostile and negative people can become. Protesters rioting. Reporters pushing touchy questions that incite a negative reaction. TV anchors that continually interrupt the person that they are interviewing and pushing their buttons on this sensitive situation. It’s like picking scabs off a wound. Healing can’t take place as long as the wound is picked and picked.

Our verse leads us to three great thoughts.

First, we are destined for salvation. This is what God designed for us and how we are made. Now this destiny is not automatic. It’s not like the sun coming up every day in the East and setting in the West. The salvation is there for us. God does not want any to be lost. This destiny involves our faith and obedience to Jesus. God will not save us apart from our actions. God will not take us kicking and screaming to Heaven. God wants you in Heaven. You must want to be there as well. God has provided the means to get there, through the blood of Jesus. He has shown us what to do through the pages of the Bible. He will not forcibly lead us against our will. Our will and His will must merge and we must walk with Him.

Second, God wants us to live with Jesus. He states it this way, ‘whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.’ Awake means alive. Asleep means death. Whether we are alive or are dead, either way, we live with Jesus. Living with Jesus is the emphasis. This connects this thought to the first point, destined for salvation. Living for Jesus is the day to day relationship one has with God. Daily living. Daily talking or praying. Daily choices that reflect faith. Daily hope. Daily reading the Bible. Living for Jesus.

Third, encourage one another. Remind each other about God’s desire for us to be saved. Be hopeful about living for Jesus every day. Build each other up. Be the cheerleader. Be Mr. Positive. Don’t drag each other down. Don’t always be the complainer. Don’t be the “woe are we” spirit. Encourage.

Barnabas was called that by the apostles. His name was Joseph. Barnabas stood for ‘son of encouragement.’ He was an encourager. Some are natural at encouraging. Others have to really work at it. It doesn’t come easy for some. Growing up in a negative home, surrounded by negative influences, a person naturally becomes that way. They see shadows more than the light. They see wrong more than right. They are doubtful more than hopeful.

Our marriages need encouragement. We need to be the cheerleader for our spouse. We need to compliment, praise and thank our mates. We need to notice things. We need to build up. That only strengthens the relationship and helps each other.

Our kids need encouragement, especially from parents. Little Johnnie may not be the best ball player on the field. He may strike out more times than not. His coach may yell at him. His players may groan when he comes to bat. He needs someone to believe in him. He needs someone to spend some extra time with him in the backyard. The same is true with grades. Some kids get great grades without much effort. Others, struggle. It’s easy to just want to quit. Quit the team. Drop out of school. Throw in the towel. They need encouragement. It’s hard with siblings who may excel when they are struggling. Don’t compare. Don’t tell them to be like the others. Encourage them. Work with them. Help them.

But more than any other area, we need encouragement to live for Jesus. That’s the context of our passage. That’s what Paul is driving at. Encouragement in marriage and at home is awesome, but it does little good if it is not directed spiritually toward living Christ-like. Getting honor roll grades is awesome, but if the person grows up to be a spiritual dud, what good is that? Living for Jesus is what Paul is interested in. That’s where we need the encouragement. You won’t get help to live for Jesus at work. Lie, cheat, stab each other in the back, seems to be normal. Dog eat dog, are the words we use to describe the working world. No help there about living for Jesus. You won’t get any encouragement to live for Jesus at the ball park or the movie theatre. Not there. Too often, even at home, there is little discussion, encouragement, praise about living for Jesus.

So among brethren, this is where the encouragement will be found. It takes place in worship. Our getting together ought to be a positive experience. We should leave in a better condition than when we arrived. We ought to be stronger, more committed and more sure having spent time together worshipping God. Often it’s not. People drag out of church buildings beat up and defeated. They return to the world where it only worsens their spirit. Encourage each other. The teenagers need it. It’s tough being a Christian teen today. Lots of pressures. It’s hard being a young parent who is trying to do what is right. Encourage them. It’s hard being a leader of God’s people. Encourage them. The senior saints need encouragement. Live for Jesus. Right now, where you are, live for Jesus.

Hopeful, helpful, kind, positive and Biblical, that’s the way we need to be with each other. A card in the mail can do that. A phone call can do that. A lunch with another Christian can do that. Having families over to your home can do that. Live for Jesus, that’s what we must be reaching for. We need to surround ourselves with those who are doing that and can help us accomplish that ourselves.

Encourage—try it. It does wonderful things to both the person who receives it and the one who gives it.

Roger