Encouragement: Urging others to persist and persevere in their efforts to attain their goals; stimulating others toward love and good deeds.
(1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:24)
You know those ‘rays of sunshine’? Do you have one in your life? They can push your dark clouds away and shine a beautiful rainbow over you! I just love those encouragers in my life! They seem to know just what to say, do, and pray, don’t they?
Tomorrow is Easter, and I can’t help but think of the encouragers in Jesus’ life. Do you think He had any or was He the sole (soul) encourager? Did others just depend on His “Ray of Sunshine” or did He in fact have encouragers that lifted Him up?
Do you think the man that carried Jesus’ cross offered encouragement to Jesus? Imagine what Jesus was experiencing at the time. He was beaten beyond recognition, exhausted, personally hurt by words of ridicule, forced to carry His cross through the streets and then came Simon. Though Simon was forced to carry the cross, imagine Jesus’ physical relief! His body, encouraged to have the weight off of his back. Can you imagine the looks of relief Jesus shared with Simon!?
I think of the perfume with which Mary anointed Jesus. I have always wondered if the beautiful smell lingered in His mind as He hung from the cross, a reminder of a woman who cared for Him deeply. I wonder if that gave Him a small bit of encouragement as He hung there for you, me and Mary? Maybe His thoughts turned to you, knowing His death would mean life for you and me. Hebrews 12:1-3 (especially verse 2)
Oh! The encouragement He must have felt when He rose from the dead after three days to be with His Father once more! He completed what was before Him out of obedience and the deepest love for His children and the Father.
Maybe this Easter we can bring His heart some encouragement or joy. Can you give your life over to Him fully? Allow His Will Be Done in YOUR life? You just might encourage your Lord! 🙂 In Fact, I know you will!
And when you encourage other people, especially God’s people, to love and good deeds, to experience Holy Spirit life for themselves, or to have real fellowship with Jesus, don’t you think that encourages our Father? Any parent seeing his children loving and encouraging others in the family (or outside it, for that matter) must experience joy and be encouraged. Don’t you think? So as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on this special time of Easter, please prayerfully ask Him how to be an encourager of His heart and others around you.