By“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” — I Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV
One of the scarcest ministries I’ve realized after a long study of the Body of Christ, especially in Africa, is the ministry of encouragement.
A lot of people, especially the youth, are living broken, depressed, in lack, stressed, worn out, and weighed down by the issues of life. Sadly, most of their friends aren’t discerning enough to encourage them. Why? Because I’ve seen that many people don’t like sowing to build good friendships. They can physically meet and chat together in a group, but when physical separation comes, these same people hardly pick up phones to call one another.
In the first ten verses of 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul wrote to encourage the church in Thessalonica to affirm their faith in the Lord, always gazing upon the second coming of Jesus Christ, despite their daily afflictions in this world. The story hasn’t changed today.
There’s nowhere in scripture that Jesus promised us a problem-free life, even in Christ. He said that in this world, we’d have trouble. However, we should take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Though this is in the Bible, many of us can lose consciousness of this truth. Therefore as children of God, we should continue doing the ministry of encouragement one to another.
Friend, don’t be an addition to people’s miseries by causing trouble in their lives. Each day has enough issues it brings. Instead of causing more harm to another fellow who’s already suffering (but may probably not tell anybody), minister the grace of God unto him. Help one another.
You’re a blessing.
Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 132
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