Therefore, Encourage One Another
Today’s scripture reading: First Thessalonians 4-5
Key verse: First Thessalonians 5:11
Everyone needs encouragement.
We need to be encouraged that we are appreciated; loved; worthwhile; and many other things.
The apostle Paul certainly knew how to encourage others. But one thing that strikes me about his greatest and best encouragement is that it is always based in the good news of God’s love as shown by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It is always grounded in the gospel.
We can encourage each other in many ways. But surely the best way is to remind each other of how to find eternal life in God’s kingdom.
Prayer: Lord, help me to keep it simple. Show me how to encourage others with the promise of Your love.
Amen.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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