Daily Devotion (October 25, 2024)
Philippians 2:1–3 (NKJV)
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
There is a lot of hatred happening in the world. Turn on the television, open the paper, listen to the radio and you hear it. Hatred. Life for so many is all about self. The leaders of the government are all about self. Someone once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It seems it is worse, people have become more focused on what they want and will do whatever they need to do to get what they want. The reality is it has always been that way. It is all about self. It began in the Garden and has grown.
Paul writes about this. His world was filled with the same evil found in today’s world. We just hear about it quicker. Multimedia surrounds us everywhere we turn. We are bombarded with the evils of the world. “1984” is upon us. We live in a dystopian world. Big brother is watching. The idea of a utopian world I was brought up in does not exist. It surely did not exist in Paul’s day. So, how did Paul say we, as Christians, should live?
Encouragement! We are to be encouragers…now, that is, if you are a Christian. The word “encourage” comes from a Latin word meaning to give a person “heart”. Paul used the word, “paraklesis” which means more than encouragement. Christians are to comfort, give support, to help strengthen one another. The very heartbeat of the Christian is to encourage one another in Christ. Christians are to encourage, comfort, strive to build up the fellowship in God’s church.
What do we find in Christ? Consolation, support, encouragement, strength. This should be the church! When we speak of church so often, we think of going to a worship service. As important as the service is, church goes far beyond the service. We must be encouragers to one another. The church, the Body of Christ, must be encouragers to each other in the name of Jesus Christ. Our world is not going to change until we change. We are not going to change until we allow Jesus to truly be the Lord of our lives.