Why are you downcast, O my soul? ~Psalm 42:11
Chuck Swindoll writes, “I think many Christians are “dying on the vine” for lack of encouragement from other believers…The lack of encouragement is almost an epidemic.”
Stever Arterburn writes, “Discouragement will drain your energy, especially when you face trials.”
William Barclay writes, “It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers.”
The cure…
Chuck Swindoll writes, “I think many Christians are “dying on the vine” for lack of encouragement from other believers…The lack of encouragement is almost an epidemic.”
Stever Arterburn writes, “Discouragement will drain your energy, especially when you face trials.”
William Barclay writes, “It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers.”
The cure…
God provides the solution for us.
Doug Fields writes:
"There’s a phrase used in churches that I really love: 'We are better together.” Better together is a fantastic slogan. It simply means that when other people are in our lives, we’ll thrive. It’s a great idea (and biblical)!'
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
~Hebrews 3:13
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:25
Chuck Swindoll writes of a poem by Samuel Coleridge that includes the line, “Friendship is a sheltering tree”: “That is a wonderful word picture. Friends are those whose lives are like branches. They provide shade, they provide refuge from the demanding, irritating, and searing rays of the hot sun. You can find comfort by them. You can find strength near them. They are tree-like in that they bear fruit that provides nourishment and encouragement.”
Steve Arterburn points out, “American culture is becoming increasingly marked by loneliness and isolation.”
Sometimes we are tempted to be ‘lone rangers’ because we don’t have time or we don’t want to be bothered by the demands of involving others. But ‘lone rangers’ are vulnerable (Why do you think that the Lone Ranger kept Tonto around?)....they are especially vulnerable to discouragement.
We need authentic friendships.
Don’t let the discouragement epidemic get you. Our Spring season kicks off the first week of February! I am excited to get started and am looking forward to seeing you there.
Walking, Learning and Growing Together...
Doug Fields writes:
"There’s a phrase used in churches that I really love: 'We are better together.” Better together is a fantastic slogan. It simply means that when other people are in our lives, we’ll thrive. It’s a great idea (and biblical)!'
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
~Hebrews 3:13
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:25
Chuck Swindoll writes of a poem by Samuel Coleridge that includes the line, “Friendship is a sheltering tree”: “That is a wonderful word picture. Friends are those whose lives are like branches. They provide shade, they provide refuge from the demanding, irritating, and searing rays of the hot sun. You can find comfort by them. You can find strength near them. They are tree-like in that they bear fruit that provides nourishment and encouragement.”
Steve Arterburn points out, “American culture is becoming increasingly marked by loneliness and isolation.”
Sometimes we are tempted to be ‘lone rangers’ because we don’t have time or we don’t want to be bothered by the demands of involving others. But ‘lone rangers’ are vulnerable (Why do you think that the Lone Ranger kept Tonto around?)....they are especially vulnerable to discouragement.
We need authentic friendships.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he's in trouble.
- Proverbs 17:17 A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
- Romans 12:4-5 Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.
Don’t let the discouragement epidemic get you. Our Spring season kicks off the first week of February! I am excited to get started and am looking forward to seeing you there.
Walking, Learning and Growing Together...
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