“1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.” – Colossians 2:1-5 (ESV)
In the above verses Paul takes the time to encourage. He was not able to be there personally, physically, but he still made it a point to give encouragement. I am of the opinion that we all have that chance in life, to be the one that encourages. As we live the life God has for us, we should want nothing more than for others to experience the same joy and the way we do that is to encourage them to seek out God and His salvation.
We do not have to be there in person, and in fact we do not even have to know those that we are encouraging. Paul did not know everyone in Colossae yet he encouraged them. I do not know all of you that engage with my bible study, yet I continue to produce it for me, yes as an extension of my study, but also for you that you might grow in Christ as a result.
The encouragement we give should be specific and not some sort of general “keep going”, “fight the good fight”, “you can do it”. When encouraging, we should give something for the other person to grab onto and strive toward. Paul does just that with his encouragement and it rounds out with “the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” and “wisdom and knowledge”. If that is not specific encouragement I don’t know what is. Paul gives the people of Colossae the direction to go and cheers for them to get there.
All the while of giving the encouragement, he is doing it from afar. I do not have to be right there with you in person, yet I can give you encouragement to seek out the knowledge of Christ and the wisdom it contains. To do that you should be diving into God’s word daily to study just what it is He has in store for you. I know that you can do it. I know that you will do it.
What encouragement have you received in the past? Is that encouragement specific enough for you to seek the goal? What if you led by example and provided encouragement for others that is specific and it starts with encouraging others to seek the knowledge and wisdom of Christ?
Trevor's Thoughts 