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The Daily Devotional
Friday, April 10, 2026
The Holy Calling of Encouragement
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Reflection
When the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he was writing to a community living in a bustling, challenging city. These early Christians faced persecution, social isolation, and deep uncertainty about their future. Yet, Paul does not simply send them a dry theological treatise; he sends a deeply pastoral, warm letter filled with fatherly affection. When he writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing,” he is acknowledging a beautiful truth: they are already doing the hard, faithful work of community, but they need the endurance to keep going. In our modern world, we often view encouragement as a nice sentiment, a polite compliment, or a fleeting pat on the back. But in the biblical sense, encouragement is profoundly structural. It is a holy calling that builds up the Church, fortifying the spiritual walls of our communities against the inevitable storms of life.
Encouragement rarely announces itself with a trumpet blast. It often begins in small, quiet, almost easily overlooked ways, yet its ripple effects can be mighty. Consider the story of a middle school teacher who, amidst the exhaustion of grading final exams, decided to take a few extra minutes to write a personalized affirmation on each student’s report card. For one particularly quiet, often overlooked girl in the back row, the teacher simply wrote, “You have a beautiful gift for bringing peace into the classroom.” It was just one sentence. But words have a unique weight when they recognize the hidden goodness in someone else. Years later, that same quiet student returned to the school. Now a licensed counselor dedicating her life to helping others navigate their own internal storms, she sought out her old teacher. She revealed that she had kept that report card tucked in her journal for years. Those few words of affirmation had carried her through some of the darkest, most isolating days of her teenage years. The teacher had merely planted a seed, completely unaware that it would grow into a sturdy tree providing shelter for many others.
This profound truth mirrors what I have experienced firsthand in my own journey. As a teaching assistant at Christian Leaders Institute, I have been granted the remarkable honor of sending thousands of letters of encouragement to students spread across the globe. Each message is a small but intentional connection—welcoming a new student to their classes, offering a prayer for their specific struggles, or helping them navigate through challenging and rigorous coursework. Because of the digital nature of this ministry, I may never meet the vast majority of these individuals in person. I will likely never see their faces or hear their voices. Yet, I am acutely aware that every word typed, and each expression of support offered, is a spiritual seed sown in faith. Just like the Apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians from afar, I have to trust that God takes these digital letters, waters these words of encouragement, and grows them into something far greater than I could ever orchestrate on my own.
The reality of encouragement is that we may never see the full harvest of the words we plant. We are called to be faithful scatterers of seed, trusting the Lord of the harvest with the results. Your encouragement possesses the power to shape destinies, alter trajectories, and pull people back from the brink of despair. Think about the people in your immediate orbit. It might be a fellow student struggling to balance the heavy demands of their studies with a full-time job. It could be a neighbor quietly bearing the immense weight of a recent loss, or a dear friend who is secretly doubting their faith and wondering if God has forgotten them. In these moments of profound vulnerability, your sincere, kind word could be the very spark that the Holy Spirit uses to reignite their fading hope. Today, I challenge you to actively participate in this holy calling. Take a moment to pause and reflect on someone in your life who might need a gentle lift. It doesn’t require a grand, sweeping gesture. Write a short, handwritten note, send a quick text message, or dedicate a few minutes to lift them up in prayer. It doesn't have to be long or deeply profound; it just has to be sincere.
Ultimately, encouragement is not merely a social nicety or a fleeting gift to others; it is a vital, living ministry of the Spirit. When we make the conscious choice to lift others up, we are actively strengthening the very body of Christ. We step into our role as co-laborers, participating in God’s beautiful, redemptive work of healing a broken world. Never underestimate the staggering power of a few thoughtful words offered in genuine love. They are the building blocks of resilience, the architecture of hope, and the breath of God moving through us to revive weary souls.
Prayer
Gracious and loving God, we thank You for the gift of community and for the countless ways You have sent others to encourage us in our times of need. Open our eyes today to see the people around us who are carrying heavy burdens, battling quiet doubts, or simply feeling unseen. Give us the right words to speak and the courage to reach out in sincere love. May Your Holy Spirit use our simple notes, texts, and prayers as seeds of hope, watering them to bring forth peace and resilience in the lives of our neighbors. Help us to be faithful builders of Your Church, always lifting one another up in grace. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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