The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Handwritten Encouragement" for Tuesday, 19 September 2017 - Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Handwritten Encouragement" for Tuesday, 19 September 2017 - Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
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1 Thessalonians 5:1 But you have no need to have anything written to you, brothers, about the times and dates when this will happen; 2 because you yourselves well know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is so peaceful and secure,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, the way labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there is no way they will escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief; 5 for you are all people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We don’t belong to the night or to darkness, 6 so let’s not be asleep, like the rest are; on the contrary, let us stay alert and sober. 7 People who sleep, sleep at night; and people who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us stay sober, putting on trust and love as a breastplate and the hope of being delivered as a helmet.[1 Thessalonians 5:8 Isaiah 59:17] 9 For God has not intended that we should experience his fury, but that we should gain deliverance through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 10 who died on our behalf so that whether we are alive or dead, we may live along with him. 11 Therefore, encourage each other, and build each other up — just as you are doing.
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Paul wrote, “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV))
One day I received a letter from someone who was unknown to me. As I read through it, I found it was regarding an article I wrote that was published in a Christian magazine. Handwritten and four pages long, the letter was from one of my readers. He was 93 years old and said that he appreciated my article and encouraged me to continue using my spiritual gift of writing for God’s glory. After I had gone through the letter, I wondered: Why did this stranger take so much pain, at his age, to send me a handwritten letter?
Scripture says that we should encourage one another. I was encouraged by a person whom I did not even know, but he obeyed God’s word to uplift my efforts for the kingdom’s sake. I still remember a line from that handwritten letter: “Encouragement is like strength to bones.”
It’s a blessing to build up fellow believers through words of appreciation. Encouragement can make us zealous to yield even more fruit and can move us forward in fulfilling God’s purpose for us.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Deepika Sagar
“Be strong all you people of the land,” declares the LORD, “work. For I am with you.” (Haggai 2:4)Many people who wait on the Lord for deliverance from some suffering just wait for the work of the Lord to be seen. But God says that we have to work and he will bless that work (Haggai 2:4). He would provide you with all the resources to accomplish the task and would team you up with people who would bring the work to the finishing line. But then we have to make a conscious decision to serve God. We keep toiling all the days of our lives trying to get all that we want, but if we look back we may find that were not earning or receiving as much as we are working for. Why? We are sowing more seeds but not reaping the equivalent harvest (Haggai 1:6). We are called to acknowledge and trust God for everything. How else can the mercy and abundant grace of God be displayed? If we put God as our priority then God multiplies our efforts and our harvest. This is the power of God’s grace which a human minds cannot comprehend.
God says, “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1: 5,7). Moving in our lives under God’s guidance is a must. Many a times we make wrong decisions or rely more on our own understanding. But despite of our wrong decisions God continues to bless us and use us for his purpose. He will restore you (1 Peter 5:10). God’s promises are not just made for the sake of reading and being happy but they are life-giving and life-sustaining words. God is the rock that we stand on, and we receive our strength and worth from God. If we make a habit of seeking God’s decision for every smallest thing then we will realize the importance of making a decision and living our lives in accordance with our faith. Nothing is ours; neither our lives, nor our family nor the assets that we have but we have been given a responsibility to take care of all these things through the wisdom of God.
God is eager to bless you and his blessings are showered from the very first step that you take towards him. All that we need to do is to make a conscious decision to follow God in all our. For He promises, “And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear” (Haggai 2:5). (Deepika Sagar, Visit my blog at: desforgod.wordpress.com)
The Author: Deepika Emmanuel Sagar (Rajasthan, India)
Thought for the Day: Whom is God nudging me to encourage today?
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to encourage others as they seek to grow in faith and know you more fully. Amen.
Prayer focus: A friend who needs encouragement
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