1 Corinthians 1:4-5

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge.

If you know anything at all about the church in Corinth, you will know that it was a disaster area. Everything seemed to be going wrong, but look how Paul starts this letter. He gives thanks for them and for the way in which God has blessed them, and rejoices in the ways that, through Jesus, God has enriched them. I love this! He could have kicked off the letter with a long list of moans, but he doesn’t. He begins with encouragement.

My junior school was very small, so I found my huge secondary school a very bewildering place. I had never been a part of anything like it before. I struggled with the work and didn’t do very well at first. I will never forget the piece of work that I did for a Geography teacher when I was twelve, which he marked as “excellent”. Nobody had ever told me I’d done anything excellent before, and his words changed everything. I saw myself in a new light.

Words of encouragement don’t normally need to be long. They may be communicated in a quick text or on a card or in a brief email. But they can be of amazing importance. They can turn people’s lives around. I wonder what you might be able to say today which will give solid encouragement to someone else.

Question

What was the most significant encouragement that you have ever received, and what did you learn from the experience?

Prayer

Lord, help me to become more encouraging day by day. Amen