When you take up the invitation to rest and retreat to withdraw, and reflect you’ll find yourself, filled up with encouragement from your heavenly father.
But that reservoir of encouragement isn’t meant for just you alone. You were made to overflow with encouragement, spreading life and hope everywhere you go.
Like we said, before, anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word cheers a person up. You and I were meant to be sons of encouragement for a world in desperate need of Hope. When you are walking as a son, overflowing with gods encouragement you have the opportunity to speak life to those around you.
For example, in Romans 14:19-20 Paul tells us, “So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words.” (New International Version) Again in I Thessalonians 5:11, Paul writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”
But the Bible doesn’t stop there. It goes on to tell us the frequency with which we need to encourage each other. In Hebrews 3:13 it says, “But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.”(Christian Standard Bible)
You see, we can only give away that which we have received. Imagine the city of Atlanta, and the surrounding areas filled with men who are so filled up the they overflow with encouragement. Imagine how that would change your relationships at home your interactions in the community and the environment of your workplace. We are blessed to be a blessing and one of the greatest gifts that we can give one another is the gift of encouragement.
Imagine how that would change your relationships at home your interactions in the community and the environment of your workplace. We are blessed to be a blessing and one of the greatest gifts that we can give one another is the gift of encouragement.
The Bible is filled with heroes of the faith, Moses, David, Isaiah, and Paul. Yet our world often needs us to live like brothers of Barnabas, sons of encouragement, good men, filled with faith and the Holy Spirit.
Make the invitation into rest, lead us to places of retreat, where we are filled with encouragement and overflowing to the world around us.