Encouraging One Another

by Hugh DeLong

We begin I Thessalonians 5 with a reminder that we are living with the foundation of God’s great gift to us and the hope that we have in Jesus. Having warned these young in the faith disciples of the trouble and persecution they would face because of their faith and lifestyle, he reminds them that they are children of God – children of light, children of the day. He uses these phrases that have long been used to describe the difference between good and evil. Evil has been associated with darkness and night, but light and day are tied to goodness.

They became disciples of Jesus on the conviction that He, having been crucified and raised to glory, is the Son of God. In the midst of such persecution that would come, they need to always remember that God has ‘destined them to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’. Our response is to now live with Him and for Him.

God, in His wisdom, knew that getting through such difficult times almost always requires the strength that we get from others. This requires personal relationships with other disciples who share our convictions and lifestyle. We are then to encourage and build up one another.

This is the bond of love. This is the unity of our religious family. One of my favorite passages about this is Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."

Look around at your brethren, with whom you have joined together. Who among them is struggling? Who can use a friend to help with their load? Who can you encourage and build up today?