Short Story

You have undoubtedly seen it happen – people in a store, looking at an item, then with a careless attitude, either dropping it or placing the item in another location in the store. Willina and I came upon a couple of ladies working hard to straighten up an aisle that had been disheveled. Without a second thought, Willina complimented the ladies for the nice job they were doing. The one lady turned to her and shared how thoughtless people are when asked to try to put things back where they got them, even remarking that it is for what the ladies get paid. As we turned to look into another aisle, both ladies showed their appreciation for our comments and one lady had tears in her eyes and thanked us. What just took us a few seconds of time, proved to be a special encouragement to a couple of people who were just trying to do their otherwise thankless job. We could have been “so busy” looking for an item that we might have hardly noticed them.

Scriptural Considerations

The first place we encounter encouragement in the Bible is in the first chapter of Genesis where the first words that we have recorded of God talking to mankind, and He says:

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (NKJ) – Genesis 1:27-28

What can be more positive and encouraging than that? God created us. He created us in His image. He created us with a purpose, and that purpose is nothing less than to listen to our Creator and do what He asks of us.

Satan’s Tactics

But, there was someone “standing in the wings” who understood that he had evil work to do. On the one hand, Satan knew that God had created mankind with a special purpose and plan in mind. Something had to be done and done quickly. It was (and is) Satan’s purpose from the beginning to counter and interfere with God’s plans. From that day to this he is constantly, regularly shifting his tactics to try to stop God from completing His plan. He is very aware that a direct frontal attack is not the best way – but deception is his main tool. And to be most successful at deception, he must do everything possible to hinder the process. He got Adam to be disobedient. He almost got the whole world wiped out in the world-wide flood because they were so perverse that God could not allow them to go on in that condition. He thought that he was going to kill the heir apparent when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah.  He tried to have all of the male babies killed in Egypt as well as in Bethlehem but was only partially successful. And the list goes on. One of his most successful deceptions is in confusing the true message of the Gospel with false religion.

Serious Consequences

So, we, in essence, have two “encouragers.” God is encouraging us to keep our focus on Him and His Word. Satan is encouraging us to keep our focus on ourselves, our desires, our thoughts, and reasonings. Satan desires to keep you from focusing on God and His Word. If we draw our attention to anything else, he accomplishes his goal. Whenever we are busy thinking of our pleasures and prosperity, we are missing God’s purpose. Our attention is on us and not on God. Ever since Eve was deceived into thinking how special the forbidden fruit was, she lost her attention on God and His Word. Since then, mankind’s attention has been distracted away from God and concentrated on himself.

Special Relationship

Scripture also tells us of at least thirteen ways that we should be ministering to “one another.”  By saying that, I am not encouraging a “social gospel” whereby we should strive to please God through all the “good” things we are doing.  That is getting the cart before the horse. But if we are focusing on God more than ourselves, these “one anothers” will be an automatic result of our daily walk.

Let us pray that we might be “encouraging one another” by helping others to focus on God rather than focusing on ourselves or themselves.

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another… (NASB) – 1 Thessalonians 5:11a