Today's Devotional Thought
June 14, 2012 by Rachel Piferi
Believe in One Another
Have you ever had someone who believed in you? Someone who listened to your dreams, believed that they were possible, and encouraged you as you pursued them?
If you have had someone who believed in you, then you know how good it feels to have someone validate your abilities and your potential. When someone believes in us, it gives us the strength and confidence to press forward in whatever the dream is. When obstacles come, this person can strengthen us to persevere in the face of challenges. They can give us the confidence to press on, even if we begin to waiver in our belief in our self.
Many times throughout the Bible, we see encouragement and strengthening coming from fellow believers. In Ephesians, Paul instructs us to "not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). In Acts, it is reported that Judas and Silas "said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers" (Acts 15:32). And in Hebrews, we see the instruction to "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25).
The world is tough and criticism seems to be around every corner. We need encouragers in our inner circle. We need fellow believers to help us persevere and press forward in the goals that we have. As we see in Proverbs 18:21, "the tongue has the power of life and death." How are you going to use your tongue? Are you going to use it to kill other people's dreams and goals? Or, are you going to use it to encourage and strengthen and motivate others to work towards their dreams?
As believers, we should all seek to encourage one another in the ultimate goal of working for the Lord. And using Jesus as our model, we should encourage one another to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and to chase after dreams that please Him. Choose to be an encourager and choose to believe in others today.
December