“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” (1 Thes. 5:11, NLT).

That’s what we need. More encouragement. Lately, there’s been too much division and bickering, especially on social media. Too many people think it’s their God-given duty to correct everyone else about everything else. Too many are pointing fingers at others while ignoring their own faults and sins.

Maybe if we went out of our way to lift each other up more, it might make a difference. Perhaps if we were to spend at least as much time encouraging as criticizing, we’d be more in line with Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians.

There’s something special about when someone goes out of their way to pay you a compliment or to give an encouraging word. Sometimes, it’s made the difference between me having a bad day and having a good day. Plus, it costs so very little to speak blessings over someone else.

I’n not saying we should never rebuke or correct others. There’s a place for discernment and discipline, but I think it should be balanced by pointing out the positives in others. I seem to remember something called a compliment sandwich where you offer a word of correction but place it between two positive statements about the person.

Lord, I’m thankful that the One who knows me most and has the most right to condemn me instead has shown me grace time after time when I least deserved it. Help me and all others who follow Jesus to be as willing to show the same grace that we have ourselves received. Amen.

“Outside the will of God, there’s nothing I want. Inside the will of God, there’s nothing I fear” (A. W. Tozer).

A. W. Tozer nailed it. Outside of the will of God, there’s nothing I want. What could I possibly gain that would be worth losing my soul in the process? What could be worth sacrificing a relationship with the One who created me and who knows me best?

I’m not saying I could lose my salvation. I am saying that if I had chosen everything that this world could possibly offer instead of God, I’d have nothing. If I have God and nothing else, I still have everything.

Inside the will of God, there’s nothing I fear. What could anyone do to me other than take my life and send me directly into the presence of God? Who could possibly harm me if the Father’s hand is on me? If God allows it, then God will bring something out of it that will be way better than any amount of hardship or suffering I endure.

The will of God is a win-win. There’s no possible way to lose for following Jesus. As Jim Elliott famously said, he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. The older I get, the more I find that to be true. And Jim proved his own quote true by giving up his own life for the gospel at the young age of 28 and leaving behind a legacy that is still speaking.

Lord, I want nothing more and nothing less than Your will. I want nothing outside Your will. Inside Your will, I have absolutely nothing to fear and absolutely everything to gain. You are worth it, no matter the cost. Amen.

“For several centuries, a village was known for its exquisite and fragile porcelain. Especially striking were its urns, which were as high as tables and as wide as chairs. They were admired around the globe for their strong form and delicate beauty. Legend has it that when each urn was finished, there was one final step. The artist broke it and then put it back together with gold filigree. An ordinary urn was then transformed into a priceless work of art. What seemed finished wasn’t complete until it was broken. 

Men throw broken things away. But God never uses anything until He first breaks it: ‘A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise’ (Psalm 51:17). God is trying to break your life for eternal good” (Adrian Rogers).

If you feel like you’re broken, that means that God is ready to use You in ways You could never imagine. I love that God uses what other people throw away. That means that no life is ever wasted if given to God — He redeems everything. Also, it means it’s never too late and no one is ever too far gone for God to use.

Sometimes what seems like the end of the world is really God starting something new in your life. What seemed like the end for the disciples as they watched Jesus sealed in the tomb was God about to raise Him from the dead and literally change the course of human history forever. Trust God and praise Him in the midst of Your brokenness. Something beautiful is about to be born in you.

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely” (Galatians 5:19-23, The Message).

I’m not always a fan of The Message, but sometimes it gets the nuances of a passage better than any traditional translation. Sometimes, it’s just weird. But this time I think Eugene Peterson nailed it.

“Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing—it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God’s plans may be, we are there and ready” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

Many of us miss God’s call because we’re waiting for the big assignment or the earth-shaking reveal when God is calling us to be faithful in small ways and obedient in the details. We’re looking for the Red Sea and the burning bush when God wants us to follow Him daily in the desert.

Whatever God’s question, my answer should always be YES. I do think that God sometimes withholds the bigger calling until He sees that we’re faithful in the everyday minutiae. Sometimes that looks like getting up, showing up, and never giving up, no matter how little anything seems to change.

When God calls us, the answer isn’t “I’ll be faithful if You promise to promote me later” or “I’ll obey but only if You put me into something that pays more later” or “I’ll go wherever as long as I can have a larger influence.” It’s a YES with no conditions or parameters that God must meet. We owe God everything. He owes us nothing.

Lord, help us to be faithful to You, no matter how small or menial the assignment. Give us eyes to see that everything we do is worship because everything done for the love of You declares Your great worth, even if we’re the only ones to get to see the glory. Thank You for calling us and inviting us into serving You, which none of us deserves. You alone are worth it. Amen.

That’s pretty much where we are, folks. I get that we had to give up meeting corporately during the pandemic because of health concerns. But here we are in 2026, and there is almost no excuse not to gather together weekly for worship. If your immune system is compromised, I get staying home for virtual service, but I believe that we as believers should make every effort to gather together in person.

Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Heb. 10:25, NLT).

That’s not something to take into consideration. That’s a command. Don’t neglect meeting together. There’s something powerful that happens when two or more are gathered in the same place that doesn’t happen when we join over an internet connection. We were never supposed to the life of faith alone but always in the context of community.

Lone Ranger Christians are in more danger of falling into temptation and sin. They’re more prone to sliding into error and false teaching. They’re missing out on contributing to the body of Christ by bringing their unique gifts and talents, so not only do they suffer but so does the whole body.

Sometimes, weather or unforeseen circumstances will keep us from meeting together, but those should always be the rare exceptions rather than the rule. I believe God honors those who honor His bride, the Church. We do that when we make it a priority to worship in person and stay in community.

This is another pre-Wordpress post. I believe I wrote this as a Facebook note (remember those?) back in 2010:

I think one of the reasons that community is so important is that it enlarges our view of God. I like to think that each of us carry puzzle pieces of what God is like. Each has a few pieces that reveal a limited aspect of God. When you get to know me, you add more pieces to your puzzle and your view of God gets bigger and clearer. When I get to know you, the same happens for me.

The more people whose lives we invest in, the more pieces and the bigger our view of God becomes and the more the pieces fall into place and connect into more coherent forms.

I truly believe that we grow as believers and our knowledge of God increases only in the context of community, where we share with each other and serve one another in love. There’s no way I can figuire out God on my own, apart from other believers.

There it is. That’s my thought for the day. Hope it helps.