A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
weekly word – 12/19/24
ENCOURAGEMENT
Heb 3:13 Encourage each another daily, while it is still called today
Heb 10:25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
To exhort means to strongly encourage or urge someone. In spiritual terms, it applies to causing others to pursue or have a desire to walk closer to Jesus. The writer of Hebrews is expressing the importance and value of doing this as a normal practice. He makes it plain that we are to do this more often as the day of the Lord’s coming draws near.
Jesus Christ was the most encouraging person to ever live. As followers of Jesus, we should focus on doing the same thing. Encouragement not only lifts other people, but it also energizes us. It usually doesn’t cost us anything other than consideration and a little time. We should encourage others freely and not make it conditional. It’s not something that has to be earned.
Christ is spoken of as our encourager in II Thessalonians 2:16-17: "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.” We should follow His lead and do the same for others.
Most of us go through tough times and get discouraged. We understand how that could make us feel alone. We should strive to be sensitive to others around us and look for signs of discouragement. Look for ways to engage with one another and see if there’s anything we can be doing to help. Sometimes that just means praying for them…right then and there! We’re told to "exhort one another daily." We must learn to become better at "stirring one another up to love and good works." Ask yourself the following questions to see if you are equipped for encouragement.
1. Do my words of encouragement easily outweigh words of correction or criticism?
2. Am I genuine in my desire to help and encourage others?
3. Do I make people joyful? Do people want to be around me?
4. Is it easy for me to praise others?
5. Have I been diligent to encourage those I associate with - children, students, employees, husband/wife, brothers, sisters, fellow church members?
6. Have I been diligent to encourage those God has placed over me - teachers, employers, church leaders, civil servants, government leaders?
7. Do I only pass along good news and squash gossip, or do I delight in sharing bad news?
8. Does my conversation with others generally build them up?
9. Do I think more about giving praise than receiving it?
1 Thes 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up, as you are already doing.
There are lots of people at Westhill church who dedicate a lot of their time for the many ministries here. How much do we notice and how much do we appreciate it. If you enjoy the sermon, the music, the visual aids, are happy with the teaching your children receive, notice the clean facilities and bathrooms, the improvements to the landscaping, find someone involved or responsible for that and let them know how much you appreciate it. Just a little word of encouragement goes a long way.
Pastor Bryan
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
12/12/24 – Are you “Walking in the Spirit?” – Ed
12/05/24 – Zechariah 14:1-5 – David
11/28/24 – To Tree or Not to Tree – Bryan
11/21/24 – The Prayer of Jabez – Ed
11/14/24 – Zechariah 13:7-9 – David
11/07/24 – So What Next? – Bryan
10/24/24 – Asking for the Right Things – Bryan
10/17/24 – Zechariah 13:1-6 – David
10/10/24 – A Story of change through the power of Christ – Ed
10/03/24 – Zechariah 12:10-14 – David
9/26/24 – Give Thanks and Praise – Bryan
9/19/24 – From Remorse to Restoration – A Pathway to Redemption –
9/12/24 – Zechariah 12:1-9 – David
9/05/24 – Why Do We Pray? – Bryan
8/22/24 – Zechariah 11 – David
8/15/24 – Planned and Necessary Delays – Bryan
8/08/24 – Lord, this is more than I can handle! – Ed
8/01/24 – Zechariah 10:7-12 – David
7/25/24 – Who are the Ministers? – Bryan
7/18/24 – The Glory of Accountability – Ed
7/11/24 – Zechariah 10:1-6 – David
7/04/24 – Eternal Independence – Bryan
6/27/24 – What a Father we have! – Ed
6/13/24 – Everything Seasoned with Love – Bryan
5/30/24 – Zechariah 9:9-10 – David
5/23/24 – Why I Love Westhill Church – Bryan
5/16/24 – WALK in the World – Ed
5/02/24 – Zechariah 9:1-7 – David
4/11/24 – How Do You Measure Faith? – Bryan
4/04/24 – Where is "my" God? – Ed
3/21/24 – Speaking Through Your Ears and Heart – Bryan
3/14/24 – Consternation in the Congregation – Ed
3/07/24 – Zechariah and The Branch – David
2/29/24 – Who Do You Say Jesus Is? – Bryan
2/22/24 – Love is........... – Ed
2/15/24 – Zechariah's Eighth and Final Vision – David
2/08/24 – It's-All-Good! – Bryan
2/01/24 – Becoming a Roman's 12 Christian – Ed
1/25/24 – Zechariah's Seventh Vision – David
1/18/24 – Temple Cleansing – Bryan
1/11/24 – The Devil made me do it – Ed
1/04/24 – Zechariah's Sixth Vision – David
12/28/23 – Many Facets to Forgiveness – Bryan
12/21/23 – Jesus, Others, You – Ed
12/14/23 – Zechariah's Fifth Vision – David
12/07/23 – We Are Royalty! Believe It and Live It. – Bryan
11/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
11/23/23 – Zechariah's Fourth Vision – David
11/16/23 – Victory Through Prayer – Bryan
11/09/23 – Do you see God's hand in the things around you? – Ed
11/02/23 – Zechariah's Third Vision – David
10/26/23 – What's My Purpose – Bryan
10/19/23 – Pride vs. Confidence: The Delicate Balance in Light of
10/12/23 – Zechariah's Second Vision – David
10/05/23 – The Battle Belongs to the Lord – Bryan
9/28/23 – To Forgive or Not to Forgive, That is the Question – Ed
9/21/23 – Zechariah: Unlocking the Future – David
9/14/23 – Battle of the Wills. What Did You Expect? – Bryan
9/07/23 – The Tyranny of the Urgent – Ed
8/31/23 – Holy Quills and Medical Bills – David
8/24/23 – Sow the Seed – Bryan
8/17/23 – R.A.L.E. Part 2 – Ed
8/10/23 – Harmonizing Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
8/03/23 – Don't Stagnate – Bryan
7/20/23 – Chewing – Rethinking Bible Study and Prayer – David
7/13/23 – Be, Know, Do – Bryan
7/06/23 – Anger Management (Part 5) – Ed
6/29/23 – Prophecies Will End – David
6/22/23 – Essential Component – Bryan
6/15/23 – Anger Management (Part 4) – Ed
6/08/23 – A Study Guide for Zechariah – David
6/01/23 – Avoidable Difficulty – Bryan
5/25/23 – Anger Management, Time to Take Action – Ed
5/18/23 – How to Prepare a Lesson on a Bible Passage – David
5/11/23 – Trust in God: Free, with Priceless Results – Bryan
5/04/23 – More on Solving the Anger Issue, (2 of 5) – Ed
4/27/23 – Without Excuse – David
4/20/23 – Is Worry A Sin? – Bryan
4/13/23 – Defining Anger (Part 1) – Ed
4/06/23 – Effective Easter Evangelism – David
3/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
3/23/23 – Should We Fast – David
3/16/23 – 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 – Ed
3/09/23 – Scarlet Threads of Hope – David
3/02/23 – Joseph: An Authentic Leader – Ed
2/23/23 – The Amalekites – David
2/16/23 – Becoming More Like Christ – Bryan
2/09/23 – "Bringing in the Sheep!" – Ed
2/02/23 – Four Mistakes Christians Make – David
1/26/23 – Living for Christ vs. Living with Christ – Bryan
1/19/23 – Bad Things and Good Things – Ed
1/12/23 – The Advancement of the Gospel – David
1/05/23 – Simpler Is Better – Bryan
12/22/22 – No Writer's Block This Time – Ed
12/15/22 – You've Got A Friend – David
12/08/22 – Tell the Story – Bryan
11/24/22 – How to Go Deeper in the Word – David
11/17/22 – The E's of Christian Living – Bryan
11/10/22 – "The Parfait of God" – Ed
11/03/22 – Fearless Obedience – David
10/27/22 – The Allocation & Bestowment of God's Blessings – Bryan
10/20/22 – 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Ed
10/13/22 – Evil Meant For Good – David
10/06/22 – Christ-Like Obedience – Bryan
9/29/22 – The "Be" Attitudes – Ed
9/22/22 – Six Parenting Lessons Learned from Lot's Failure as a
9/15/22 – Grace Greater than our Sin – Bryan
9/08/22 – Philippians 4:13 – Ed
9/01/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 2: A Silver Lining For Edomites – David
8/25/22 – Jesus Is All I Want and All I Need – Bryan
8/18/22 – Does God Expect Us to Color Within the Lines? – Ed
8/11/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 1: The Danger of Holding a Grudge –
8/04/22 – Pros and Cons of Technology – Bryan
7/28/22 – What Could Make Christianity Attractive to the World –
7/21/22 – The Curse that Became a Blessing – David
7/14/22 – No Loitering – Bryan
7/07/22 – The 23rd Psalm: – Ed
6/30/22 – Share Christ This Summer For $5 – David
6/23/22 – Serving with SOUL – Bryan
6/16/22 – Have you walked in their shoes? – Ed
6/09/22 – Habakkuk, Babylon, and the American Christian – David
6/02/22 – The Gospel That Leads to Salvation: Simple & Free, Yet
5/26/22 – Love Your Neighbor As Yourself – Ed
5/19/22 – Mutual Funds and Vice Stocks – David
5/12/22 – Make A Joyful Noise – Bryan
5/05/22 – A Romans 12 Christian | Part 2 – Ed
4/28/22 – Biblical Church Membership – David
4/21/22 – What Does Love mean? – Bryan
4/14/21 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 5/5 - David
3/31/22 – Keep Sin from Harboring in our Hearts – Bryan
3/24/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 4/5 – David
3/17/22 – Punishment or Training? – Ed
3/10/22 – Maintain the Unity in the Body – Bryan
3/03/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan’s Attack | Part 3/5 – David
2/24/22 – Are You a Good Listener? – Ed
2/17/22 – Biblical Love – Bryan
2/10/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 2/5 – David
2/03/22 – Is It Really Alright? – Ed
1/27/22 – The Faithfulness of Joseph – Bryan
1/20/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 1/5 – David
1/06/22 – What Are We To Do? – Bryan
12/30/21 – A Biblical View of the Conscience – David
12/23/21 – "Tis the Season" – Ed
12/16/21 – Every Little Detail – Bryan
12/09/21 – The Gospel and Christmas – David
12/02/21 – God is good, all the time! – Ed
11/25/21 – Thankful for Everything! – Bryan
11/18/21 – How I Began to Take Solid Food – David
11/11/21 – Does God Talk to Us Today? – Ed
11/04/21 – What Happened...and What Will Happen? – Bryan
10/28/21 – Pray to Share Your Faith – David
10/21/21 – The Way We Preach – David
10/14/21 – Justification and Sanctification – Bryan
10/07/21 – The Fix for Spiritual Laziness – David
9/30/21 – Falling Away is Falling Away from Jesus – David
9/23/21 – Beyond Sovereign - Bryan
9/16/21 – Why We Need Hebrews – David
9/09/21 – Glory and Honor – David
9/02/21 – Consider the Source. Compare to THE SOURCE – Bryan
8/19/21 – Pray for the Afghan Christians – David
8/12/21 – Now is the Time! – Bryan
8/05/21 – For Three Crimes, Even Four – David
7/29/21 – So What Are Husbands Supposed To Do? – David
7/22/21 – From Foes to Fellow Saints - Bryan
7/15/21 – Sharing the Gospel with an Atheist Israeli Jew – David
7/08/21 – When You're Afraid of Sharing the Gospel – David
7/01/21 – Farewell Dear Friends - Bryan
6/24/21 – Examples to the Flock – David
6/17/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 3 – David
6/10/21 – It Is Well with My Soul – Bryan
6/03/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 2 – David
5/27/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 1 – David
5/20/21 – What Does Biblical Giving Look Like? – Bryan
5/13/21 – Biblical Joy 201 – David
5/06/21 – Biblical Joy 101 – David
4/29/21 – Perspective & Attitude – Michael
4/22/21 – Jesus' Most Offensive Teaching – David
4/15/21 – The In-Between Times – David
4/08/21 – Spiritual Readiness – Bryan
4/01/21 – When in Doubt, Read the Directions – Michael
3/25/21 – Four Major OT Archeological Findings – David
3/18/21 – God's Timing and Faithfulness – Bryan
3/11/21 – The Pepsi Challenge between You and Jesus – David
3/04/21 – LORD of Lords – Bryan
2/25/21 – Numbers 20:6 – Michael
2/18/21 – Lessons from the Disqualified – David
2/11/21 – How to Study a Familiar Bible Verse – David
2/04/21 – Phase 2 is here! Do you know what that means? – Bryan
1/28/21 – Love God Carefully – David
1/21/21 – One of the Answers is Right Here – Micheal
1/07/21 – The New Religion – David
12/31/20 – Our Blessed Hope – David
12/24/20 – One Thing Remains – Bryan
12/17/20 – Do You Aspire to the Office of Overseer? – David
12/10/20 – Psalms - A Political Guide for God's People – David
12/03/20 – Getting Tired of Manna? – Bryan
11/26/20 – Advice on Loving Better – Michael
11/19/20 – Styles of Idolatry: BC, AD, and Today – David
11/12/20 – Fight or Flight? – David
11/05/20 – Take it to The Lord in Prayer – Bryan
10/29/20 – The Anathema Council – David
10/22/20 – Church History – David
10/15/20 – Growing In Our Faith – Bryan
10/08/20 – Finding Jesus – Michael
10/01/20 – Godly Division – David
9/24/20 – Nothing Beyond What Is Written – David
9/17/20 – Stay the Course Continued – Bryan
9/10/20 – “What did you say? I wasn’t listening." – Michael
9/03/20 – How to Assess Your Relationship with God – David
8/27/20 – All The More – David
8/20/20 – Serving With the Right Heart & Attitude – Bryan
7/30/20 – How Firm a Foundation – Bryan
7/16/20 – We Came, We Saw, We Sharpened – David
7/09/20 – Stir Up One Another – Bryan
7/02/20 – Don't Be Afraid to Be Courageous – Michael
6/25/20 – The Gentle Correction That Changed Me – David
6/18/20 – Witnessing Like and For Christ – Bryan
6/04/20 – Resistance, Riots and Romans – David
5/28/20 – Ambassador is Not a Part-Time Job – Bryan
5/21/20 – The Church is Not a Building – Michael
5/14/20 – Proclaim Jesus at the Grocery Store – David
5/07/20 – Stay the Course – Bryan
4/30/20 – It's the Little Things – Michael
4/23/20 – Living With Certainty & Purpose in Uncertain Times –
4/16/20 – Binge-Praying – David
4/09/20 – An Opportunity to Grow – David
3/26/20 – Care, Love, Trust, Rejoice, Remain – David
3/19/20 – Hello WestHill Church Family – Michael