"Encourage and strengthen him." Deuteronomy 3:28 NIV
God knew that Joshua would need all the help he could get in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. So He told his mentor, Moses, "Encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land" (v. 27-28). God recognized that Moses was the best man to strengthen and encourage Joshua because he'd dealt with pressures and "people problems" at the Red Sea, and again in the desert when Israel grumbled against God - and him.
Everybody needs encouragement, including you! You need others to cheer you on when you've been battered by setbacks and circumstances. German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, "Correction does much, but encouragement does much more." It rekindles your spirit and gives you the oomph to keep going. One well known pastor wrote, "Nothing can uplift more than the encouragement of a friend or loved one. It's the oxygen of the soul. Having run two miles, a person may need to pause and catch his or her breath before running another two. Before facing a formidable task, or even the wearying routines of life, a person needs to pause for encouragement before tackling the work ahead. So become oxygen to the souls of those around you. Strengthen them to persevere for the Kingdom. Encourage them with God's promise to work good in all things."
Stop and think about somebody who could use a little encouragement, and before today is over, make it a point to get in touch with them. "Let us pursue the things...by which one may edify [build up] another" (Ro 14:19 NKJV).
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