Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

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March 16, 2010
    Good morning, special people.
    Now that we are on daylight saving time, it gets light later.  Duh!  What are we going to do with all this daylight we're saving?  Can we save it up and then spend it after dark?  I'm kind of confused.  Oh well...nothing new.
    May you be blessed in the daylight...and after dark.
        Love and prayers.
            Dad/Ray

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16 March 2010
Passage: Acts 20:1-16
Focus: “He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people…”  Acts 20:2.

            There’s nothing more encouraging than to be encouraged.  And to be discouraged is very discouraging.  Wouldn’t you agree?  The fact is that everyone needs a lot of encouragement just to make it through life with any measure of balance and success.  The same is true of the Christian life.  But there is a huge amount of contrary and discouraging influence out there in both arenas.
            Paul was an encourager.  But he was a very biased one.  He was absolutely convinced that there was no such thing as substantial encouragement outside of Christ.  So in his passion and quest to be that kind of encourager, he was often judged as a troublemaker and author of discouragement by those who didn’t want his encouragement.  That’s what happened at Ephesus when Demetrius the silversmith was discouraged in his trade of making and selling idols surrounding the success of Paul’s encouragement.  Demetrius was so bent on discouraging Paul that he was successful in stirring up a very discouraging riot that nearly had Paul killed.  But it wasn’t enough to discourage Paul.  In today’s passage we read, “When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after ENCOURAGING them, said good–by and set out for Macedonia.  He traveled through that area, speaking many words of ENCOURAGEMENT  to the people” (Acts 20:12).
            Listen to Paul’s words in Colossians 2:1-3: “I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.  My purpose is that they may be ENCOURAGED  in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
            I want to be that kind of encourager.  I think God wants you to be too.
            May you be encouraged as an encourager as you take note of one more word of encouragement from Paul: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal ENCOURAGEMENT and good hope, ENCOURAGE your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thess. 2:16-17).