Encouragement
Let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
As I sat in the enormous crowd last night, drinking from an endless stream of memory-engaging smile-engendering hits by legendary singer/songwriters, Elton John and Billy Joel, I was already pondering this morning gospel “devo.” The performance was stunning, but the company was stellar. The concert was wrapped around a birthday celebration for a friend, and my main take-a-way last night was the absolute importance of needing people in our lives for every season of life.
The Scriptures describe a cheerful heart as good medicine and I needed the elixir of laughter last evening. Leading up to the concert, my day had been emotionally draining, as I make further preparations to care for the increasingly complex health needs of my 90 year old dad and step-mom. Indeed, we need one another. Everyone of us needs, and can give, encouragement.
The writer of Hebrews presents mutual encouragement as a practice to be “ramped up” as we anticipate the Day when Jesus returns to make all things new. Perhaps the point is the closer we get to the second coming of Jesus the more intense we can expect life to get. Or perhaps he’s just saying as we get older, don’t try to do life alone. Either way, a Day is coming when the truest Friend, the One who sticks closer than a brother, will bring to us the eternal encouragement of the new heaven and new earth. Until that Day, let’s invest more energy in encouraging one another in this day.