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Encouragement or Teaching?
What do we need the most in our daily lives as Christians in God's family, encouragement or teaching?
Hard question, and not a simple answer, but logically I think we all know, we need both, and not always in equal portions.
There are times I feel really good about how things are going, and I don't really need anybody prodding me along, I'm in a good place. These are times I can focus more on service and growing and maturing. My problems are mostly small and manageable and that leaves me physically and emotionally in a good place for some growth.
There are other times, the weight of things gets me down, and I need encouragement just to stay with it all. In the lives of some people, these are times just hanging on is a good outcome, even if there is no growing or maturing necessarily, yet we are still growing because sticking it out through the trial grows our faith and our wisdom. But life is hard, and sometimes has so much mental anguish we can barely handle it.
Today, I don't know where you may be, but as we look around in our world, there is a lot to deal with, and much of it would like to pull us away from God, and that's the easier road most of the time.
But I encourage you to remain strong, remember we are in a race for the finish line, and dropping out of the race altogether is what many good Christian people seem to be doing, it's easier to drop out than to struggle to keep going. I pray God will send strength in whatever forms He can use to provide that 'shot in the arm' we all need from time to time to refocus and recommit.
Today, if you are doing well, praise God. Take this time to use that strength to grow and encourage others, so that when future trials and tribulations come, and they will, you will be that much more equipped to handle them and to help others who go through them as well. We never have to go it alone. We have both God and His family to help us in our times of distress, and we can rejoice with both in our times of contentment. Actually, it's all just life! Let us live it as God intended. It may not be easy, but He will reward us for our obedience.
