Building One Another  

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

Encouragement for the Long Haul!

Dear Friend,

There are songs that swirl hope in my mind like Matt Redman’s, “You’ll Never Let Go” as he sings to our Lord, “You never let go – Lord, You never let go of me.”  

There are countless reasons all of can know we deserve being let go.

Yet, the God who loves us never, ever lets us go.

The Hebrew word hesed, sometimes expressed as kindness, mercy, steadfast love, has the sense of, “I will never remove my love from you.”  God NEVER lets us go!

Let’s encourage one another for the long haul with God’s hesed love.

For the long haul: put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you… Colossians 3:12-13

Joy to you – for the long haul – Stan

© Copyright 2022 E. Stanley Ott

Scripture from the ESV

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1. Describe a situation in your life where someone supported and encouraged you for the long haul. Have you thanked them?
2. Are there people in your life for whom encouragement for the long haul is especially challenging? Why?
3. Have you considered ending a relationship where giving encouragement for the long haul is draining you dry. How did you or how will you handle it - while sustaining your commitment to the lifestyle described above in Colossians 3:12-13?

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash