A famous singer was advertised
to perform at the Grand Opera House in Paris. That night, the
concert hall was packed with people, eager to hear her. Suddenly,
the house manager went on stage and announced, 'Ladies and Gentlemen,
I regret that due to illness, our special guest will be unable
to perform this evening. However, we've found another singer,
an equally great talent, so would you please give her a warm welcome.
The crowd groaned so loudly
that nobody even heard the singer's name. You could feel the disappointment
everywhere. The stand in singer gave it everything she had, but
when it was over all she got was a brief, scattered applause followed
by an uncomfortable silence.
Suddenly, in the balcony,
a child stood up and shouted, 'Mummy, I think you're wonderful!"
Realizing what had happened, the crowd jumped to their feet and
gave her a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes.
Once
in a while we all need to hear somebody say, 'I think you're wonderful!"...
Encourage one another and build each other up. (I Thess. 5:11)
Today,
God will give you an opportunity to encourage somebody.
Don't
wait until the race is won, encourage every step they take.
Don't
wait until they're dead and put it on a stone, say it while they
can hear it and enjoy it.
And
don't forget, what you sow you'll reap. Think about it!
Friends:
Some
nice person sent this to me through e-mail and if I ever needed
an encouraging word, it was every day this week!
Do
you have weeks like mine? Weeks that seem as if the world has
gone totally crazy (and with everyone in it looney tunes?) I guess
we all have days/weeks like this. It sure is nice to hear a friend
call up and say hello, or go to the mailbox, open it and see a
note from someone special.
I
think we all play an important role in encouragement. It is one
of the special gifts God bestows upon some of us. I know that
some are better at encouragement than others, but I think we all
have a role to play in encouraging our brothers and sisters in
Christ.
No
matter what our problems may be, we are somehow lifted by a comforting
word. I found out this week that one of my uncles that I love
very much was diagnosed with lymphoma and almost within a 24 hour
span of time one of my other aunts committed suicide.
Your
world seems to shift in times of crisis, and you could start to
doubt that there is a loving God in this world, if left alone
to ponder your troubles. But doubting is somehow made difficult
when there is a group of loving friends gathered close, telling
you how much you are loved, and constantly reminding you that
it will be all right.
And
guess what? It will be all right. No matter what happens. If the
worst case scenario turns out to be a reality, it will still be
all right. Know why?
God
sent us a Comforter, who I like to think of as THE ENCOURAGER
. . . Christ! Jesus was the most famous, best, all around encourager
ever! His words constantly encouraged and admonished us to reach
for our brothers and sisters and how we should help them in times
of trouble and crisis.
He
stated 'Fear Not!" Fear not . . . now those are comforting words.
Could we really face death, financial ruin, long-term health problems,
pain, personal tragedy, divorce, and really FEAR NOT?
With
His help we can. We can look at death square in the eye, and for
sure we'll face fear, (we wouldn't be human if we didn't) but
fear won't conquer us! Christ has already given us the Victory,
even thought the battle must still be fought!
Think
about it! He has given us the outcome of our battle, before it
has been fought! Now if we had all the answers to our problems
before we were entangled in them, we could avoid the pitfalls
and dangers of this life.
But
we know the outcome of our personal battle with life and Satan.
We know we will win because of the precious blood Christ shed
on Calvary for us. Not because of anything we've done. Because
He loved us that much!
If
only we could know the lottery numbers before they are chosen
. . . or the scores to the latest pro basketball game before it
is played! Or for you Bingo players out there, knowing which card
to play before the caller calls out the winning letters! If we
had the power to know this information, we think we would be the
richest person on earth!
But
you know Christ has already been there, ahead of us, too! We already
are the richest people on this earth. Christians have their treasures
already. They are simply 'laid up in heaven."
We
don't have earthly treasures to worry about!
Christ
really takes great care of us! Could we take care of our friends
and neighbors like Christ has taken care of us? Can we be a super
encourager and spread the good news instead of bad? Can we lighten
someone's load, today? All it takes sometimes is a smile . . .
sometimes it takes our very soul.
Christ
gives us tools to help us along the pathway of encouragement.
He gives us LOVE. We can ask for more of Christ's love-and what
are we to do what with it? Give it away to our friends and neighbors.
How
do we do that?
By
sending them an encouraging word! The Good News of Jesus Christ!
Don't despair, don't give up, don't grow bitter, don't become
mean spirited, don't turn away! We can also pray for them and
with them!
Reach
out and touch somebody's hand, make this world a better place,
if you can . . . (recognize the lyrics?) It's so true.
Be
an Encourager! You won't lose by it . . . you'll just gain all
there is that Christ has for us!
Next
time you pass your neighbor, call out a great big HELLO! You never
know . . . it might just come right back at you!
Now
that's winning!
