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“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV).”

After encouraging this church family in Thessalonica to live in a way which pleases God, and too know of Gods return, to live in a way to be ready, the Apostle Paul adds this verse: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV).”

Are we?

Are we living a life of encouragement? Are we striving to be the good needed on the daily? Do we consistently display encouragement to those around us? Are we, the followers of Jesus Christ, encouraging AND building each other up? Here’s the key…if you have to ask yourself if you are…you probably aren’t. Later on in verse 25 of this same chapter, Paul encourages the church to “pray for us”. Imagine the change in our communities if we gave more encouragement, built each other up, and prayed for one another non-stop. Wooo! Preach! That dog’ll hunt, son!

Let’s get a little more specific with this challenge of encouraging, building up, and praying, alrighty? Schools all over the place have begun or will be soon enough. Incase you had not heard or noticed, school systems everywhere are struggling to find and keep educators. A good reason folks are leaving this line of work is because of dealing with parents and disrespectful students who DON’T encourage… DON’T build up…who blame the teachers for bad grades knowing MOST LIKELY the student earned said grade by not doing work or following instructions. There’s been a shift for years where it’s automatically the teachers fault and we don’t support them as needed. This falls in line not only with our educational system but with our churches in how we overload ministers, in our fire/ ems/ police services in how we treat them, heck…pretty much everywhere!

Would you like to know something, just a little something that would GREATLY help?!?! Ready for it?!?!

“…encourage one another and build each other up”. This cannot be said enough. But more than being said, IT NEEDS TO BE APPLIED!

Encourage. Build each other up. Pray for one another. Send a letter or 5 a week to a teacher encouraging them. Text an educator “Thinking and praying over you today. Thank you for building these students up!”

Encourage and build each other up. Imagine how your life would change if someone was encourage and built you up and prayed over you. Wow, am I right?! Now do this for others so the ending of this verse “just as in fact you are doing” will be true.

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail. com.