Proverbs 27:6 , Matthew 16:23 , Hebrews 3:12-14
We come to the close of this course with an emphasis on “encouraging the heart.” As we seek to encourage others, there are two important truths from Scripture to keep in mind. The first is to remember that Christ knew how to both encourage and rebuke people in a loving way (Matthew 16:23), and he did both because he loved people. We should do the same. As leaders, we are to encourage people and pick them off the ground when they fall, but we must also have the courage to lovingly confront them when it is needed, and in turn, be lovingly confronted ourselves. We can’t lovingly confront others, of course, if we are more concerned about being liked and about avoiding conflict than we are about addressing issues and helping people make necessary changes (Proverbs 27:6). Nor can we confront others successfully if we have no loving concern for them.
This relates to the second important truth from Scripture: exhortation. Exhortation is more than just empty encouragement. It often includes an element of rebuke. But again, the motive behind it all is love. We must hold fast to Christ together, and so we need one another in dark and difficult times just as much as in the good times. In the difficult times, we exhort one another to hold fast and we grieve with those who grieve. In the good times, we rejoice with one another, and we remind ourselves that we should never get wrapped up in the temporal. Those are just gifts from God. Above all, we remind ourselves that we’re just passing through, that we’re not home yet, and that one day, we’ll worship the Lord together (Hebrews 3:12-14).
Comments are closed