As Christians we all know (most of us do) to love one another. This was so important to Jesus that it was one of the last things He commanded to His Disciples. This sounds easy enough, but what does it look like? It depends on how you view the word love. If love is a verb to you then it is an action, and as you put it into action people are then left feeling loved and therefore comforted, and encouraged.
So how does Love, Comfort, and Encouragement go together? Comforting and encouraging someone are action done as a result of being motivated by love, and if we are called to "love one another" then it also means we are likewise called to comfort and encourage one another. These 3 words are inseparable, for an act done out of love to someone is almost always a comfort and an encouragement to that person.
2nd Corinthians 1:3,4 says,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
We are called to love as He loves us, comfort as He comforts us, and encourage as He encourages us! God created us to have a relationship with one another. God comforts us in the storms of life, and often times He uses us (His people) as the vessel to accomplish this. The question is, Are you available to Him? Are you a vessel He can use?
If we love, comfort, and encourage one another then we can make sure not only us, but our brothers and sisters in Christ ARE vessels that can be useful to God. Without the love, comfort, and encouragement of others in the faith, we are left alone and we can grow weaker in our walk with Christ.
1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 says,
1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, 3 that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
Paul knew the church in Thessaloniki was in a lot of affliction, so he sent Timothy to them to encourage them. Looking at this in a more modern light, sometimes it takes someone to come in an encourage the church. Today many churches will have a guest preacher come in for a revival. Although the focus is placed usually on winning the lost, a good by-product of the revival is it encourages the church.
2 Corinthians 7:3-7 says,
3 I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. 5 For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
Paul experienced many hardships in the ministry work he did, and becoming discouraged was the enemy's goal. Paul was comforted and encouraged however by God and this motivated him to keep pressing on. We see that God used Titus to comfort Paul, but Titus was also encouraged by the Corinthian people prior to this, and this also was a motivating factor for Paul.
Discouragement is all around us in this world, but God has called us to be His salt to season this world, to be His light in the darkness, to love one another, and also to comfort and encourage each other. Do you have a brother or sister in Christ that is discouraged? Love, comfort, and encourage them today. The world is watching us and Jesus said that we will be known by the fact that we "love one another."
The Irish evangelist Gypsy Smith once said,
“There are five Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian, and some people will never read the first four.”
In other words, YOU (the Christian) are being read whether you know it or not. Will they see the love of Jesus evident in your life? So often we assume that non-believers will read one of or all four of the Gospels and then maybe reject Jesus. What if your Christian walk was read and therefore not seeing anything authentic, Jesus was rejected?
You are in a unique position to encourage someone to get to know Jesus, or discourage them from it. You are also in a unique position to encourage other Christians to keep pushing on in their faith and then be a comfort and an encouragement to others.
