With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Build Others Up
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. Amen.
(from the hymn, Spirit of the Living God)
Word
“Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up.” (I Thess. 5:11)
Meditation
Martin Luther said, “It is dangerous to be alone.” We need each other more than ever. Yet we might be more isolated from others. Some of you haven’t seen a friend or a family member in 10 months. Some of you missed seeing loved ones at Christmas or Thanksgiving.
When Paul tells the Thesselonians to “encourage one another, and build each other up,” he is asserting a biblical truth. We were made for community. We are built for relationships. And in those relationships, Christians are called to the ministry of encouragement and building up. The world has enough tearing down. Rivalry, cancel culture, dismissing your opponents, demonizing those who disagree. This is how our society operates. Christians differentiate themselves by building up, not tearing down.
Schedule daily conversations with someone you love, a friend, or a neighbor. Develop a “ministry of calling.” If you reached out to two people a day, you could connect with 60 people a month. It doesn’t have to be long. A two minute conversation on the phone or a voice mail. Someone will be glad they were noticed. Or consider a ministry of note writing. I know people who are using the ancient technology of the U.S. Postal service. When you get a note or a letter, you know that someone spent money to reach out to you.
“Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up.” (I Thess. 5:11)
Benediction
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)