Domino's...have you ever seen a group of dominos lined up in perfect order? There
is often an intricate design and hundreds of dominos are used. Then, out of the
blue, you see a finger reach out and knock the very first one in the row
over...then before you know it, there is a change reaction of falling dominos.
Think about that chain reaction as you read the following verses on
encouragement:
Acts 20:1,2 “1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent
for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out
for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words
of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,,”
Philemon 1:7 “Your
love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have
refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”
Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you
the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,”
Romans 15:4 “For
everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that
through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement
they provide we might have hope.”
2 Thessalonians
2:16 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us
and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,”
As you can see,
there are a lot of verses on encouragement in the Bible. I have only listed
five, but the Word of God is filled with so much more! Sometimes, encouragement
can be a smile at a stranger walking by on the street. It could be
complimenting the grocery store clerk on her earrings or it could be a 3 hour
phone call with a friend on the other line of the phone.
Encouragement comes
in many different ways. Often, we can discourage others with just a look or our
body language. Just as easy as encouragement can come, it can be taken away as
well.
Often, many people
feel that in order to do the work of God, they need to address a mass group of
people…and if that is God’s calling on your life and His will for the moment,
then many people will hear His Word and be encouraged, however, one thing that
is easy to loose sight on is the domino affect we have when we touch just one
person’s life. If one person has a change of heart, that can affect everyone
around them…so for today, let’s try and make a difference in just one person’s
life and like a domino, watch God’s love and glory flow from there! Amen
