June 25th, 2021
By Jack Broomell
Well what a week this has been. As I write this Thursday I am on the last full day of Youth Week. Starting Sunday night we have been having worship at night, activities during the day and VBS in the morning. While it is exhausting, there is nothing like the spiritual momentum you gain while being surrounded by other believers and serving with them. It has been an extremely encouraging week and the highlight so far for me was having the full youth band lead us in worship on Wednesday night.
During my sermons this week I have been trying to drill home the idea that we as Christians need to be more positive and be a light to the world around us. Negativity is everywhere, in the news, on social media and even in conversations with other people. We don’t need to look hard to find it, yet positivity seems to be at an all-time low. Last night I drifted to the idea that every single person you come into contact with is fighting a battle that you don’t know anything about. From there we made the realization that we have no idea what God might do through a single word of encouragement. When you combine these two ideas, it is clear what we are called to do- give out praise.
Constant negativity is not a new idea in 2021, the first thing that came to my mind was what Job was going through. As he was dealing with Satan’s temptations and meddling in his life, his friends turned on him instead of supporting him. In Job 16:2-5 NLT it says
“I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking? I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you. But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief”
It is so easy to be like Job’s friends, to point out the flaws and issues in other people’s lives. Proverbs tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death, God calls us to speak life. Let us build up others in their faith, strengthen their confidence in God, help them believe that God is for them, doesn’t leave them and has called and chosen us.
My challenge for you this week is if you think of something good, say it! Think of how much more positive the people around you would feel. We all know how it feels to be built up and complimented. Let us not rob others of this blessing. Keep praising and encouraging others to help them realize how God has blessed them. We are the righteousness of God, Children of the living God, Joint Heir in Christ, Free from the law and of sin and death, filled with the same Spirit that conquered death, we are God’s workmanship, Light of the World, Salt of the Earth, and more than Conquerors. It is so encouraging to know all these things and to know that we have a God we can trust and that loves us. We have worth founded in Him so let us build each other up on the foundation of what He has called us.
Well what a week this has been. As I write this Thursday I am on the last full day of Youth Week. Starting Sunday night we have been having worship at night, activities during the day and VBS in the morning. While it is exhausting, there is nothing like the spiritual momentum you gain while being surrounded by other believers and serving with them. It has been an extremely encouraging week and the highlight so far for me was having the full youth band lead us in worship on Wednesday night.
During my sermons this week I have been trying to drill home the idea that we as Christians need to be more positive and be a light to the world around us. Negativity is everywhere, in the news, on social media and even in conversations with other people. We don’t need to look hard to find it, yet positivity seems to be at an all-time low. Last night I drifted to the idea that every single person you come into contact with is fighting a battle that you don’t know anything about. From there we made the realization that we have no idea what God might do through a single word of encouragement. When you combine these two ideas, it is clear what we are called to do- give out praise.
Constant negativity is not a new idea in 2021, the first thing that came to my mind was what Job was going through. As he was dealing with Satan’s temptations and meddling in his life, his friends turned on him instead of supporting him. In Job 16:2-5 NLT it says
“I have heard all this before. What miserable comforters you are! Won’t you ever stop blowing hot air? What makes you keep on talking? I could say the same things if you were in my place. I could spout off criticism and shake my head at you. But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief”
It is so easy to be like Job’s friends, to point out the flaws and issues in other people’s lives. Proverbs tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death, God calls us to speak life. Let us build up others in their faith, strengthen their confidence in God, help them believe that God is for them, doesn’t leave them and has called and chosen us.
My challenge for you this week is if you think of something good, say it! Think of how much more positive the people around you would feel. We all know how it feels to be built up and complimented. Let us not rob others of this blessing. Keep praising and encouraging others to help them realize how God has blessed them. We are the righteousness of God, Children of the living God, Joint Heir in Christ, Free from the law and of sin and death, filled with the same Spirit that conquered death, we are God’s workmanship, Light of the World, Salt of the Earth, and more than Conquerors. It is so encouraging to know all these things and to know that we have a God we can trust and that loves us. We have worth founded in Him so let us build each other up on the foundation of what He has called us.
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