We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.“

We all need encouragement in our lives. Life gets heavy. It gets hard. As the days move forward toward the return of the Lord, there is more and more evil around us. It’s easy to become discouraged. Many of us are facing struggles and spiritual warfare on a level we have never encountered before. In certain parts of the world, there is widespread persecution of Christians. The world is a very dark place.

The Lord told us that the days would grow very dark, but He also told us that we are the light of the world. If you’re in a bright room and you turn on a light, you hardly notice. The brightness of the room detracts from the brightness of the light itself. When you’re in a dark room, turning on that light makes a difference. You suddenly notice the presence of the light. As the room gets darker, the light makes a bigger impact.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, he closed by telling them that the day of the Lord was coming like a thief. He encouraged them to live as those who are in the light. Then he reminded them to encourage one another and to build each other up. It’s important that we encourage each other. It’s important that we bear one another’s burden. On a personal level, we all need encouragement. We are built for community, and we need friendship and encouragement when life gets hard. On a larger level, we need to encourage each other to stand in faith and shine our light in the midst of a dark culture. This is what God has called us to do, and it’s what will make the biggest impact on our world.

Father, I thank you that you created me for community. I thank you for placing good friends in my life. I thank you that I can go to those friends when life gets hard, and we can share one another’s burdens and encourage one another to keep standing in faith and keep shining our lights in a dark world. Father, I thank you that you also encourage us through the promises in your Word. Your promises never fail. They are truth, and they can be counted on. Help me to be an encouragement to those around me and to shine my light brightly so that those who are in the dark may see that light and be pointed to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.