LIFT. BLOG 8. 4/8/19 BE LIFTED THROUGH ENCOURAGEMENT

Come to Jesus Daily devotional

CONTENTS 

• Monday – Be lifted by encouraging yourself
• Tuesday – Be lifted by encouraging others
• Wednesday – Be lifted to encourage non-believers 
• Thursday – Be lifted by seeking to praise 
• Friday – Be lifted knowing God is watching

For links to the message and our blog which contains all of our studies, go to our website,

www.communitychurchputney.com

1. COME TO JESUS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

One of our goals as a church is to spend at least 20 minutes every day in prayer and worship out of the bible. I hope you find this devotional helpful toward that end. 

This series, LIFT…

…is different to our usual practice for working through a book of the bible. I felt that, for this season, it would be refreshing to seek God for what He wants to say and to simply share that. 

I trust that such an approach will help remind all of us to be prophetic - to listen to what God wants to say as a lifestyle. 

These daily studies, likewise, are from my, and other church member’s devotions. I will also include devotionals derived from the various contributions that you share, as a church, in various settings. 

Matt Beaney June 2019 

MONDAY – BE LIFTED BY ENCOURAGING YOURSELF

BY JEM HOWE

Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, (I rejoiced with those who said to me- NIV), “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”. 

Think back to your time at school - which teachers do you remember the most? I have very clear memories of two particular teachers; I dreaded one but enjoyed the lessons of the other.  What was the difference? One was incredibly discouraging, the other was extremely encouraging. 

We all need encouragement; whether it’s at school, at work, at home… and all of us respond better to encouragement than criticism. And it is especially important that we are encouraged in our relationship with God. 

Even Kings need encouragement. At the beginning of Psalm 122 we see how King David responded to the encouragement of others - he was glad and went with them to the temple to worship. 

RESPONSE

How might you encourage others, specifically, in their relationship with God and His people?

To be such a person, firstly you need to encourage yourself. To be encouragers, we first need to be encouraged - only then will we be motivated to help others. 

let’s learn to speak to ourselves with words of truth that encourage. Let’s stop confessing worry and fear, and start confessing who God is and the blessing we have from Him. Like David in Psalm 103,

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…’ (Psalm 103: 1-2)

TUESDAY – BE LIFTED BY ENCOURAGING OTHERS

BY JEM HOWE

Hebrews 10: 24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Yesterday we saw that if we are to encourage others, we need to be encouraged ourselves. Today, we see that God calls us to love others by encouraging them. The author tells us to ‘spur’ or ‘stir up’ our brothers and sisters. The word is ‘paroxusmos’ which contains the idea of provoking, and confrontation - like a ‘spur’ encouragement is sometimes to be lovingly firm! One of the key verses that has shaped our current vision is an example of Jesus encouraging people who were in spiritual need.

'Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit’  (John 7:37-39)

Jesus also ‘spurs’ the woman at the well onto greater things when He confronts her, 

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again…” (John 4:13) 

RESPONSE

Jesus has "living waters" for people. Surely this should move us to encourage them.  We don't want people to ‘meet together’ (be part of a Community Group, church…) because we say so! Rather, it’s because we know that it’s in these contexts we encourage one another in our relationship with Jesus. So, as the author of the Hebrews urges us, ‘let us consider how we may spur one another on’ or ‘take notice of how you can encourage others’. 

WEDNESDAY – BE LIFTED TO ENCOURAGE NON-BELIEVERS

BY JEM HOWE

Psalm 122:8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”

Colossians 4:5-6  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 

Over the last couple of days, we see a divine pattern: those who are encouraged, encourage others to know Jesus. We see the same principle at work in a fire: each coal or log catches fire as it is put together with others and becomes a fire that will spread! As we are encouraged in church community, people around us will feel the ‘heat’ of our love for God in the way we live and speak. 

RESPONSE

You and I are sent into our particular lives with a commission to share the good news of Jesus.  As we meet with our non-believing friends, listen to where they are at, and consider how you can offer hope and encouragement. But, I think it’s so important to highlight again, that it’s only as we are encouraged in Jesus that we will seek to bring others to Jesus. Personal evangelism (sharing the good news) comes out of a personal encounter! Let’s end by considering the following words by noticing that their ‘encouraging non-believers’ comes out of having ‘been with Jesus’. 

‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.’ (Acts 4:12-13)

THURSDAY – BE LIFTED BY SEEKING TO PRAISE

BY NEV FLOYD

Psalm 22:26 ‘…those who seek him shall praise the LORD!…’ (ESV)

On Monday we saw the importance of encouraging our own hearts in God. However, there are days when I struggle to praise God. This verse is a helpful prompt. It reminds me to seek Him, and by doing so, it will lead me to praise Him. If I start my day seeking my own desires, thinking about my needs, looking at social media, before coming to Jesus, I can become distracted, and, often, discouraged.  However, if I begin by lifting my eyes to Jesus, reminding myself (through the Word) of who He is - my almighty & powerful Saviour - there is a promise that this will give me the desire to praise Him. To seek is an act of the will not the emotions. I don’t have to feel in the right mood to do this. Seeking is an act of faith – it knows that praising God is right, and it knows that if one seeks to praise, the desire to praise will be given. Jesus says, 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

If you seek to praise, the door of praise will open in your heart. The Psalmist knew this principle when he wrote,  “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” (Psalm 43:5) 

RESPONSE

Maybe you don’t feel like praising God. Never-the-less, right now, stop reading this, put away anything which may distract you, and take time to talk to Him and remind yourself of His greatness.

A helpful resource: ‘Praying the Promises: Anchor Your Life to Unshakable Hope’ - a book by Max Lucado (the short chapters in this book contain prayers full of the promises of God, which will likely lead you to want to praise Jesus.)

FRIDAY – BE LIFTED KNOWING GOD IS WATCHING

Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

In this verse, we have a great summary of a Christian. A Christian in one ‘whose hope for s in His unfailing love’; they know that they have sinned against a holy God; they know what it is to fear Him - they have felt their condemnation and hopelessness. But they know that God has rescued them by His great mercy. His unfailing love has raised them from the depths of despair! 

It’s of such people - those who hope in His unfailing love - that it is said, ‘the eyes of the LORD are on those…’ The Father’s eyes are on us. He is watching over us for good. We read more on this throughout the bible. Here are a couple of examples,

‘The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.’ (Psalm 121:5-8)

‘For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.’ (2 Chron. 16:9) 

RESPONSE

If you are a Christian – if you have put your hope in the love of God in Christ, be encouraged knowing that you are precious to God.

We could summarise things as: if your eyes of faith are on God, His eyes are on you. 

Today, lift your eyes of faith to God, being mindful of the truth that God is watching over you. He is protecting and guiding you. Encourage your heart by keeping this truth in mind today.