After the Miracle

Today's Devotional Thought
November 16, 2012 by Rachel Piferi

Letters to Encourage

Have you written a letter to anyone recently? When you examine the books of the New Testament, you will see that the majority of the books are epistles, or letters. And, of these letters, Paul wrote most of them. When you study these letters from Paul, you can see that these are heartfelt words written to real people with real challenges. They usually start with a salutation of love and greetings and offer a reminder of the great God that we serve. Some of the letters go on to offer encouragement or comfort. Some of the letters offer instruction on how to live well. And, some of the letters are written to challenge the recipients to grow in some area of their lives.

I love having these written letters from Paul where we can read and reread his words of encouragement, instruction, and challenge. It reminds me of how much I love writing and receiving correspondences from others. When preparing a letter or email or card to someone else, I love being able to take time to fully elaborate the points that I am trying make. And, I love that a written correspondence allows the recipient to keep a record of what is said. A written correspondence allows you to re-read the sentiments of the other person and it allows you to really study their words and fully understand what they are saying. Like the letters from Paul, you will have a written record of encouragement or love or instruction that can be repeatedly referred to when you feel weak or need a reminder of a friend�s encouragement and love. And, like the letters from Paul, you can find the letters of encouragement that I have received from others tucked inside my Bible where I can refer to them often.

Have you written a letter to anyone recently? Do you know someone who you should express your love or encouragement or instruction to? Take time today and express yourself in writing to someone else. And, give them a written record of your encouragement, love, or instruction that they can keep for years to come.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
~II Corinthians 1:3-4