Isaiah - Verse By Verse

Walk thru Eph #153

versebyverse | May 04, 2008 17:14

Thought:  To me, encouraging communication one with another is very important to us all.

Question:  Do I know how those near me are getting along?

Scripture:  Ephesians 6:22 (NIV):  "I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you."

Communication is obviously of vital value to Paul and to the Lord.  The Lord longs for us to communicate with Him in prayer and He willingly reveals Himself in communication through Scripture to us.  Next, He counsels and even commands that prayers be made for others.  Well, in order to pray for others we need to know what's going on!  To know what's going on involves communication.  And God's end purpose in any of His communication and our communication is encouragement for us.  This is a wonderful, positive word.  God doesn't want to talk to us, or hear from us, in order to pick us apart and bring us down to condemnation.  No.  God longs to encourage us.

Paul reflects this same spirit in his statement "I am sending him to you..."  Tychicus is a sent one.  Christ was, too.  The connections God works out between Himself and people, and people with other people, are established through "sent ones":  those who reach out to gather information and also give out the information they've received from God.  God's heart is a reaching heart.  God's way is a communicative way.  God's desire is an encouraging word.

What is "encouragement"?  To me, it literally means "to create courage" in someone.  Courage to what?  Courage to believe, go on believing, go on to fight sin, keep on keeping on.  Though we stumble, God repairs.  God is ever giving the good of Himself to us, to help us, to lift us.  And Paul wants his believers to continue to be encouraged in their walk.  Tychicus is sent to facilitate this.

Prayer:  Father in Heaven, help our prayers for others and words to others to be the encouragement they need.  Amen. 

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