The Burning Question:
You are being sold as an action figure. What two accessories come with you?
Morning Devotional:
I had the most beautiful experience last week. A friend of mine had a birthday last week and I was invited by a friend of hers to go out to a restaurant to celebrate. What was interesting about the invitation was that other than the birthday girl and the person who invited me, the rest of the attendees were people I had never met before.
Now I can converse with pretty much anybody and I had a great evening making a couple of new friends. At one point during the dinner, something happened that I had never experienced before. One by one, each person at the table took the opportunity to tell my friend what they appreciated about her and how she had blessed them. Once everyone had spoken, we gathered around her and prayed for her.
By the time we were done, I was undone. I’ve offered spoken encouragement to another person and I’ve been the recipient of encouragement, but never like this. Not in a group setting. I had never seen a group of people take the time, the energy, the focused thought and prayer to truly edify someone in that way. It was refreshing, life changing, and a reminder of just how important Paul’s words to the Thessalonians are to us.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul wrote, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Paul understood that encouragement lifts us out of despair, renews our hope, and deepens our trust in God. When we speak blessings and encouragement over others, we become vessels of God’s grace, too, helping others to see His love and goodness.
Is there someone today you can bless with your words of encouragement? If you said yes, don’t hold them back, because those words you have to share just may be life-giving to someone who could really use them.
– Beth
Bible Quiz:
Question: What reluctant prophet what thrown overboard in a storm?
Answer: Jonah (Jonah 1:11-17)
Storytime: 4 Appendicitis