Letters of Encouragement
*Here’s an excerpt of the first devotional in “The Gift of Encouragement” Available May 10th, 2023.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Each one of us needs encouragement. It’s hard-wired into our being, the need to be loved and esteemed. The apostle Paul writes about it in one of his letters to the Thessalonians. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Paul knew a thing or two about the need for encouragement. Remember he was the apostle who was beaten, imprisoned, struck down blind, shipwrecked on the island of Malta where by- the-way he was bitten by a venomous snake, and eventually beheaded by the Roman emperor Nero for his belief in Christ and sharing the Gospel. And yet while he was alive, Paul continued to write letters of encouragement.
Paul wrote thirteen books or letters of encouragement in the New Testament. That’s nearly half of the entire New Testament. These include Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
The apostle John exhorts us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“Take heart” is defined as “to gain courage or confidence: to begin to feel better and more hopeful.” Take heart, the LORD is working on your behalf and is fully aware of your every need.
Have you noticed that “courage” is part of the word encourage? Take a minute and jot down a letter of encouragement to yourself. Take heart. Ask the LORD what he loves about you.“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Each one of us needs encouragement. It’s hard-wired into our being, the need to be loved and esteemed. The apostle Paul writes about it in one of his letters to the Thessalonians. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Paul knew a thing or two about the need for encouragement. Remember he was the apostle who was beaten, imprisoned, struck down blind, shipwrecked on the island of Malta where by- the-way he was bitten by a venomous snake, and eventually beheaded by the Roman emperor Nero for his belief in Christ and sharing the Gospel. And yet while he was alive, Paul continued to write letters of encouragement.
Paul wrote thirteen books or letters of encouragement in the New Testament. That’s nearly half of the entire New Testament. These include Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
The apostle John exhorts us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“Take heart” is defined as “to gain courage or confidence: to begin to feel better and more hopeful.” Take heart, the LORD is working on your behalf and is fully aware of your every need.
Have you noticed that “courage” is part of the word encourage? Take a minute and jot down a letter of encouragement to yourself. Take heart. Ask the LORD what he loves about you.