Post by Ken Sutterfield:
"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of the Christian brethren is a gift of grace..."--Dietrich Bonhoffer
It is exciting to think that God has challenged us to encourage one another. The power of your encouraging words, spoken or written, could be the difference in the outcome of a single event or even one's life.
"Encourage one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near,"
In my book The Power of an Encouraging Word I have assembled a group of stories that inspire us to do life together in community. Haven't you longed for an encouraging word from someone close to you? We need each other... to give us hope in who we are. We want and need to be accepted without mask or veneer. We want to be loved and we need to love and encourage others apart from performance or appearance. We deeply desire to be accepted in a community just as we are; just as Christ accepts us. When you have been encouraged, your first impulse is to encourage someone else— pass it on.
There is truth in the saying "It is more blessed to give than receive"-- Encouragement is infectious! Whether in your home, work place, church, school or community group we need to stand by one another --- won't you be a wind break in someone's life? The fact is by ourselves we are weak and fragile--- but together, with the Lord's help, we find strength to press on and complete the journey by God's grace.
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him
Encouragement is the word—the note—or the look that says, YES, you can do it! As an artist finds joy in giving beauty to others, so it is to anyone who masters the art of encouragement. There are people all around us in our communities in need of a good word, an uplifting compliment, a word of hope and promise.
"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen."—Martin Luther
Who in your community will you write today? Make a list of those you know in need of a word of encouragement. Remember you are a tool in the hand of the Lord— be a messenger of hope and change in someone's life today and make a difference!
Tomorrow we will continue to look at The Power of an Encouraging Word with a personal story of how I was impacted forever by a friends words. I hope you too will share your stories from this week... as you practice blessing others with your encouraging words. Be sure and use the hashtag (#2encourage) to encourage those in your community. Also be sure and check out New Leaf Press!
Don't forget FREE BOOK FRIDAY. I look forward to tomorrow—blessings friends!
***Also, @MasterBooks4U is hosting a #teachthetruth Twitter party Tuesday, September 20 at 8 pm CST. They will be chatting about Absotively Posilutely: Evidence for Creation by Carl Kerby. You will have the chance to win many great prizes and connect with other like-minded friends!
"Absotively Posilutely is a quick read packed with incredible information. It's a timeless resource for our homeschool bookshelf!"– @MaMaHall (Moms of Master Books)
Don't be tardy to the party!
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