[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fencouragement-who-needs-it":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fencouragement-who-needs-it-surround":87},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":69,"date":70,"description":18,"extension":71,"image":72,"meta":73,"minRead":74,"navigation":75,"path":76,"postType":77,"publication":78,"publicationUrl":72,"seo":79,"stem":80,"topics":81,"__hash__":86},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fencouragement-who-needs-it.md","Encouragement—Who Needs It?",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"1 Thessalonians","Hebrews","Proverbs",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":65},"minimark",[15,19,22,25,33,43,49,55,62],[16,17,18],"p",{},"\"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing\" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).",[16,20,21],{},"In a world that tears people down, Christians ought to be God's construction crew. First Thessalonians chapter 5 mentions several groups of people who need us to build them up.",[16,23,24],{},"Leaders need encouragement. \"Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work\" (vv. 12, 13).",[16,26,27,28,32],{},"Michael Deaver served as Deputy Chief of Staff during the Reagan administration. On the morning of President Reagan's first inauguration, Deaver was concerned because it appeared his boss had overslept. He knocked on the president's bedroom door and said, \"Sir, it's 8:30 in the morning. In about two hours, you're going to become the 40th president of the United States!\" Reagan sleepily poked his head out from under the covers and said, \"Do I ",[29,30,31],"em",{},"have"," to?\" Leaders carry heavy burdens, and most feel overwhelmed at times. We need to encourage them so that their work \"will be a joy, not a burden\" (Hebrews 13:17).",[16,34,35,38,39,42],{},[29,36,37],{},"Uninvolved people"," need encouragement. \"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle\" (v. 14). The word translated \"idle\" is a military term that referred to a soldier who was out of step or loafing when he should have been on duty. The ",[29,40,41],{},"King James Version"," translates it \"unruly,\" as if someone is not playing by the rules or carrying his share of the load. Proverbs 18:9 says, \"One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.\" If you're not helping the Lord's work move forward, you're holding it back. If you're not doing your part, someone else has to work harder. Each of us must find a place to serve, and hold each other accountable to get involved too.",[16,44,45,48],{},[29,46,47],{},"Timid people"," need encouragement. \"Encourage the timid\" (v. 14). Instead of \"timid,\" other translations say \"fainthearted,\" \"feeble-minded,\" or \"small souled.\" The word refers to those who lack confidence, who are shy and fearful. Do you know some timid souls who need encouragement to reach their full potential? What about the shy young man in the high school group, the timid little girl who lives next door, or the quiet senior adult you see at church each Sunday?",[16,50,51,54],{},[29,52,53],{},"Weak people"," need encouragement. \"Help the weak\" (v. 14). There's financial weakness, when a brother in Christ loses his job or experiences a business reversal. There's physical weakness, when someone is sick or hospitalized. Emotional weakness comes in times of depression or grief. And even the strongest believers endure periods of spiritual weakness when their faith comes under attack.",[16,56,57,58,61],{},"The bottom line? ",[29,59,60],{},"Everyone"," needs encouragement! \"Be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else\" (vv. 14, 15). Before Billy Sunday went to preach in a city, it was his custom to ask city leaders for a list of people who needed prayer so he could pray for them in advance of the meeting. When he went to Columbus, Ohio, he wrote to the mayor and asked him for a list of those who needed prayer. The mayor sent back a copy of the Columbus phone book, because he said everyone in the city needed prayer.",[16,63,64],{},"Find someone to encourage this week. And find strength in the greatest encourager of all. \"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it\" (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24).",{"title":66,"searchDepth":67,"depth":67,"links":68},"",2,[],"First Look","2003-12-07","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fencouragement-who-needs-it","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":18},"articles\u002Fencouragement-who-needs-it",[82,83,84,85],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","DCehsz0m4HEl7kjQLjI1rKYOzhTJUS5Wk_j9Nv58o9g",[88,93],{"title":89,"path":90,"stem":91,"description":92,"children":-1},"Encourage Your Kids—Don't Exasperate Them","\u002Farticles\u002Fencourage-your-kids-don-t-exasperate-them","articles\u002Fencourage-your-kids-don-t-exasperate-them","Ah, the joys of parenthood—and the challenges! Charles Wadsworth observed, \"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he is wrong.\"",{"title":94,"path":95,"stem":96,"description":97,"children":-1},"End-of-the-Year Clearance","\u002Farticles\u002Fend-of-the-year-clearance","articles\u002Fend-of-the-year-clearance","During this time of year newspapers are filled with ads about \"after-Christmas specials\" and end-of-the-year clearance sales—so the same item you rushed out and bought for $50 last week now costs $30, which may have been its original price in the first place."]