by wendy | Apr 22, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships
One of the most encouraging things we can do for ourselves and others is to pray. The definition of encourage is to inspire with courage, spirit, and hope, and each of these things can be accessed through prayer.
We access Courage through prayer.
When we submit to God in prayer, we are reminded that He is able to do all that He says He can do. He has promised to be with us, to provide for us, and to protect us. Scripture gives us many examples of great leaders who found courage by crying out to God. Abraham (Romans 4:20-21), Moses (Exodus 17:4), and David (1 Samuel 30:6) all found strength and courage when they sought God in prayer. We too have that privilege. God encourages us to come to Him (James 4:8) and He promises to meet us there.
“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? the LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.”
Psalm 118:6-7
We access the Spirit through prayer.
When we submit to God in prayer, we open the door for the work of the Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us (Luke 11:9-13) to intercede on our behalf (Romans 8:26) and to give us peace. The spirit teaches us, reminds us, and restores us.
“The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
Romans 8:6
We access Hope through prayer.
When we submit to God in prayer, we offer Him the sacrifice of our hope. God is the source of our confidence – our hope. It is only in Him that we can trust that our future is secure.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
When we go to God in prayer, we access courage, spirit, and hope to encourage our own hearts. We are strengthened so we can encourage others.
by wendy | Apr 16, 2020 | Encouragement, Godly Relationships, Tips for Encouraging Others
Gifts come in many forms, but what makes a gift worth giving is the joy with which it is given.
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
My stepdaughter, Renee, has always been a cheerful giver! When she was little, she would choose things from her room to wrap up and give as gifts. These precious gifts, along with all of the amazing things my children made for me with their own hands, have remained some of my favorites through the years. What is it that makes a gift from the heart so sweet? I believe it is the joy of the giver.
Giving gifts comes more naturally to some of us than others, but we can develop the encouragement of gifts simply by practicing. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Food is an amazing gift! It fills the belly and fills the heart. Choose one thing you are good at making (my chocolate chip cookies are amazing!) and whip up a large batch. Create bundles – attach a note of encouragement – deliver! If you are not confident in your baking (or cooking) skills, then purchase homemade goodies from a local farmer’s market or bakery. Regardless of whose hands stirred the batter, the gift is sure to hit the sweet spot!
Use your skills and passions to create or craft a one-of-a-kind gift. The ideas are endless, and the time and effort put into making something is priceless. Pray over each gift as you make it and send it with a message of love.
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Give something from nature.
Flowers, plants, a stone from your hike, a feather – these are the gifts that connect us to our creator. We can pass along the gifts of our Father to others and remind them of His love for us as part of his creation. Include a card with a verse of encouragement about the value of each of God’s creations.
We all have something we treasure. When we give away something that is personal and precious to us, it opens our hearts to make room for even more. Sacrificial giving is the purest form of encouragement. Include a handwritten note to explain the significance of the gift and the person receiving it.
Our God is a lavish giver and a practical giver. If you see that someone needs something – give it to them! It may take a little detective work, but meeting a practical need for people is a very gratifying way to encourage. Sometimes it is appropriate to give these gifts anonymously, but whenever possible include a message to let the recipient know it was given in love.
I would love to hear your gift ideas as well – please comment to share the gifts you have given or received lately that offered encouragement.
“Dear children, let us not love with actions and in truth or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18
by wendy | Apr 13, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships
I am not sure I remember ever leaving my Granny’s house without something she had given me. This was especially true in my college years. Each time I stopped by for a visit, I left with containers of food, a newspaper article she had clipped, and various other things Granny had collected for me since the last time I was there. She loved to give!
It wasn’t until after college that I began to recognize the pleasure she took in giving to everyone. My grandparents never had a lot of money, but there was always plenty of food. Grandaddy grew a garden and Granny cooked and baked with love. When I was younger, I noticed that she used her cooking to demonstrate her love to family, with the spreads of food at each gathering and her particular attention to each one’s favorite dishes. But after Grandaddy died and the family spread out, Granny’s cooking and baking became an outreach. She would carry pieces of her famous pound cake and portions of a casserole to residents in her building, people that worked in businesses within walking distance, and anyone else she encountered. Even now, after Granny has been gone from this earth for years, I still hear stories of the gifts of food she shared as she encouraged all those around her.
The legacy my grandmother left behind has taught me much about the importance of gifts in the ministry of encouragement. Long after the food was consumed, the taste of encouragement from those gifts remained with those to whom she delivered. Any gift would have done the same, Granny just used the gift she had – the skill and love of baking and cooking – to administer the encouragement. Gifts don’t have to be expensive – they don’t have to be bought at all – they simply need to come from the heart.
Many people claim to have no gifts to offer, but each of us has something (1 Peter 4:10-11). God created all with value, all with purpose, and all with the ability to give. We tend to wish that we had a gift that has been given to someone else, but unless we are using that which we have been given, the world is missing something valuable.
In this time of isolation, I have been blessed to witness the hidden gifts of so many. As people begin to share and give of themselves, we become more connected and encouraged! Now is the time to think about what you can give. Whether it is a gift wrapped in a box, an act of service, a kind word, or a note of encouragement – your gift matters! Give the gift of encouragement today.
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”
Romans 12:4-6
by wendy | Apr 13, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships
My friend Sandi is a “gift encourager.” She readily admits that giving presents is her love language and her favorite way to encourage others. Sandi is amazing at studying and listening to her friends so that her gifts are thoughtful and unique to the recipient. She loves to find special things that are useful to that person and the gifts always seem to arrive just when the encouragement is needed. In this particular gifting, Sandi is reflecting the heart of God because His gifts are always good, useful, and encouraging!
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God’s gifts are always good!
“God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8
God is thoughtful about the gifts he gives us. He has given the gift of his son, Jesus, and salvation and the Holy Spirit for all who would accept, but he also gives unique gifts to each of us (1 Corinthians 12:4). He knows us completely because he made us and he studies us (Psalm 139). He gives us gifts that meet our needs and enable us to do good things for others.
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God’s gifts are always useful!
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 9:11
Every gift God gives us is good for us and good for us to use (James 1:17)! Spiritual gifts – special abilities such as teaching, administration, prophecy, giving – are given to build up and serve the church (1 Peter 4:10). Blessings – material, financial, physical, emotional – are given to share with and serve those in need. Talents – creative and skillful – are given to serve the world and to testify to his glory. When we receive a gift from God, we can be certain we are supposed to use it (Matthew 25:14-30).
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God’s gifts are always encouraging!
“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.“
2 Corinthians 9:12-15
When God gives gifts, the result is a never-ending cycle of encouragement. God’s gift of his son, Jesus, causes us to be generous givers in grateful response. Our generosity in giving causes others to give thanks to God for our gifts and to pray for us. The overflow continues giving encouragement to others and ourselves, as well as glory to God.
God’s gifts are the ultimate definition of gifts that keep on giving! As we receive God’s good, useful, and encouraging gifts, may we always respond in gratitude by giving to others.
by wendy | Apr 9, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships, Hospitality
I love it when God teaches me through experiences, and I tend to learn the lesson even more fully when He uses my own writing to impact my heart. This week has been one of those opportunities and I know He timed it for just when I would need the encouragement.
I have been using themes to organize my writing goals for each week. This week, I felt led to write about Hospitality. It seemed like an odd topic – given the current quarantine situation – but I embraced the challenge and brainstormed about the unique ways I have seen people offer hospitality while social distancing. Even as I blogged about the loneliness of others, my own heart was grieving this week. I felt alone.
Early in the week, my friend and neighbor texted to ask if she could visit in the yard. We have a beautiful maple tree just outside my back door that creates a “room” with the strong branches. Several swings hang from its arms and that old tree has hosted more conversations than I can count. The swings hang a safe distance apart and the fresh air and cool shade offer hospitality without compromising health. We had a wonderful visit and after she left I felt less alone.
Just last night, another friend texted and asked to stop by for a visit. “I’ll meet you under the tree!” was my quick response. This time, the dusk had settled in and my family was all around – but somehow our conversation felt safe and sacred under the protection of the maple’s canopy. Hospitality provided hope and healing under the shelter of peace.
Even in this time of quarantine and social distance, we still need to be together. Virtual meetings are good, texting and calling are important, writing letters and posting on social media have value – but there is nothing that replaces the actual presence of a person. I respect the need to be isolated in this time, but in the right environment, with the proper precautions, we still need each other.
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:11-12
I am grateful for my opportunities this week to offer hospitality. God used my own gift of encouragement to encourage me! He blessed me by giving me opportunity to bless others. In my own words from Volume 1 of “A Daily Cup of Encouragement – One Sip at a Time”:
“This is abundance – full circle – complete. The word, Shalom, that we know as peace, means completeness in Hebrew. When God completes something there is peace – Shalom.”
Go in peace, my friends. I pray that you are able to encourage someone in the coming days and that in your encouragement, your own heart will be blessed. Shalom.
by wendy | Apr 7, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships, Hospitality
Easter seems to feel a bit different this year. The thought of Jesus’s death sits atop the mounding thoughts of death from the corona virus.The empty tomb and Christians hiding in their houses highlights the uncertainty we feel in these times. Our worldly Easter traditions thrown aside – we are forced to face the holiday for what it is – raw and unfiltered – purely about Jesus and what He has done for us.
Shortly after the resurrection, Peter and his friends did what he knew best – he went fishing. This wasn’t just a pastime to him, it was his profession. When things are uncertain, we tend to go back to what we know, and Peter was no different. After a night of no success, a man on the shore yelled out a suggestion to throw out their nets on the other side. Though they had not yet recognized Jesus, I feel sure the bulging nets they hauled in from the right side of the boat brought the realization that their friend was with them! Peter – no surprise here – jumped out of the boat and hurried to his side while the others brought in the boat and fish.
It is this part of the story that warms my heart most. Jesus was waiting on shore with a fire, ready to cook them breakfast. He knew they had been out all night fishing; He knew they had been suffering in a season of uncertainty; He knew they were dealing with grief and guilt and guessing – so He fed them. Jesus brought hospitality to them – where they needed it, when they needed it. When they were finished eating, He gave Peter directions:
“Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.'”
John 21:17
We just don’t know what is going to happen next in this world – but we do know this: Jesus is alive and well and He wants us to feed His sheep. He has given us His word, His blessings, and gifts to do the work of caring for people. Certainly we are to feed the souls of others with His word, but Jesus also demonstrates for us how we can meet the needs of people in practical ways.
“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”
James 2:16
Jesus brought hospitality and fellowship to the disciples in a time when they needed it most. He filled their bellies so He could fill their hearts. This is the time, friends, when we should be looking for opportunities to do the same. To whom can you deliver hospitality today? Who do you know that needs the encouragement of a warm meal and knowledge that you are available? How can you use God’s word, the blessings He has given you, and the gifts He has bestowed on you to meet people where they are?
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'”
Matthew 25:34-36
