[Life Of David] Four Attributes of God-Honoring Friendships 预览

Encouragement 

For us to be good, godly friends, we need to be sacrificial, loyal, and encouraging. Jonathan encouraged his friend David by reminding him of the trustworthy promise that the Lord had made to him earlier. He said to David, “You will be king over Israel.” He encouraged him when he needed it the most.

Sometimes we have to be reminded of the promises of God. We need someone to remind us, “God will see you through this trial.” “God will help you out.” “You will go to heaven when you die if you have trusted Jesus Christ.” “Jesus will provide for you.” “Jesus does hear your prayers.” It is called faith. We need encouragement in our faith. 

We all need friends who encourage us when we need it the most, who tell us to not be afraid, to keep walking, to keep going. Are you an encourager? Am I an encourager? I hope that we are. Many of us would not be doing some of the things we do if someone had not encouraged us to do it, believing in us, cheering us on. Encouragers make a huge difference in your life. We all need encouragement in our lives.

According to a Cigna Health survey, loneliness is on a rampage in our world. Loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It is even more dangerous than obesity. More than half of Americans say they feel lonely, even when they are surrounded by other people. Forty-six percent say they feel no one knows them well. Thirty-six percent believe there is no one they can turn to. Nearly one in five say that they do not have anyone they can turn to or talk to.

Jesus was an encourager. He told us to be strong, to have courage, to not be troubled or afraid. And, like Jesus, we can all be encouragers. There is never a wrong time to encourage people. Encourage someone who is serving your food, and watch them light up. Tell somebody they look nice today. Be an encourager and let that be a testimony of God in your life and through you. Instead of being a complainer, be an encourager. Think of the people who encourage you and how much it means to you. 

My prayer is that you can make it a goal to encourage those around you: your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the people you meet—at the supermarket, anywhere, at any time. Like Jonathan was to David, like Barnabas was to Paul, like someone was to me, and like you will be to somebody else: Be an encourager.