Building with Words

‘But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see’ (Deuteronomy 3:28)

By words, the beautiful world we live in came into existence. By the power of the tongue many lives have either been built up or destroyed. In Psalm 64:1-3, David runs to God for refuge as a result of the words of his enemies; ‘who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows-bitter words’. Your words can either destroy or build up lives. William Barclay the Bible expositor said, 'One of the highest human duties is the duty of encouragement.' 

‘As a follower of Christ you are commanded to build others up by highlighting what's good instead of magnifying what's bad, by seeing them as unique individuals instead of stereotypes, by respecting instead of ridiculing, by forgiving instead of shaming, by modeling unconditional love instead of love with strings attached, by applauding each step of growth instead of saying, 'You'll never change,' by seeing their God-given potential instead of seeing them as problems to be handled.

God knew that Joshua would need all the help he could get in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. So He told his mentor, Moses, '...encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land...’ God recognized that Moses was the best man to strengthen and encourage Joshua because he'd dealt with pressures and 'people problems' at the Red Sea, and again in the desert when Israel grumbled against God and him. Everybody needs encouragement, including you! You need others to cheer you on when you've been battered by setbacks and circumstances’ (Kevin Craig - Be a "builder-upper).

  

German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, said, 'Correction does much, but encouragement does much more.' It rekindles your spirit and gives you the oomph to keep going. One well known pastor also wrote, 'Nothing can uplift more than the encouragement of a friend or loved one. It's the oxygen of the soul.

Today, pause and think about somebody who needs encouragement, and before the day is over, make it a point to get in touch with them. '...let us pursue the things...by which one may edify [build up] another' (Romans 14:19 NKJV).