Build Each Other Up
By John North
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Heavenly Father, help us to sharpen our brothers and sisters like iron. May we all grow in spirit together, encouraging one another with your words. Amen.
Don’t only work on your own spiritual life, also build up the spiritual lives of those around you!
The Bible is full of guidance on how we can grow much faster if we share in each others’ spiritual growth. When we get together with other believers, we can play a major part in helping them walk more closely with the Lord.
God wants you to learn to use your times with your brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage them spiritually, to motivate them in their times with God and in prayer, to discuss ways to more effectively share Christ with others, to serve them and help them. We miss out on so much potential growth when we only ever just “hang out” together.
Hanging out can be very restorative and stress relieving. But if we simply add a relaxed spiritual discussion to our hanging out, we will leave that time together encouraged in the Lord. And if we add a brief prayer time at the end, we will deepen our spiritual relationship with each other and the Lord even more.
Who will you see today that you could ask about what God is teaching them, or pray together, or share about what you got from the Word today? Ask God to use you when you get together to strengthen them spiritually.
Reflect on today’s verse with us. Share your thoughts in the Your Daily Bible Verse discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/kieferpix
Editor’s Note: The following was adapted from Time with God, March 29 by John North. To read the full article, follow this link.
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalms 60: Victory in Hopeless Ground
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Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for a devotional on Psalm 60 — a raw, honest lament born out of being surrounded on all sides, where David dares to say You did this, God — and still picks up the banner and calls Him Lord.
Jaime unpacks the historical backdrop of David fighting enemies to the north, east, and south all at once, and shares a breathtaking story from her years near Death Valley — where barren, salt-crusted flats that look permanently dead suddenly erupted into a once-in-a-century bloom of purple wildflowers. Sometimes the victory is already buried right beneath the most hopeless-looking ground, waiting for God's rain to bring it to life. If this episode helps you navigate life with prayer and intention, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
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