Call Out The Treasure

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

IF WE ASK, God will give us eyes to see the treasure he has put within other people—the samples of his Kingdom character and gifts that have either already been given or are potential gifts in their future. When we learn to see people according to their future, whether it’s a certainty or only a possibility, we treat them differently. But seeing is not the end of our responsibility. Something happens when we take a step beyond observation and actually call out the Kingdom glory in another person. When we put words to what we’ve seen, we build each other up and accelerate the transformation into our true, God-given selves.

Scripture urges us to do that, whether through some prophetic insight (1 Corinthians 14:3) or the natural encouragement that comes when people care about each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25). We may still notice others’ sins—both fallen and redeemed human nature can be quite observant—but we are never told to focus on them. No, we are told to comfort one another, to forgive and restore where necessary, and to build each other up whenever we can. We are to notice the glory within our fellow earthen vessels and be vocal about reminding them that it’s there. And they will need the reminder; people can be extremely forgetful about the blessings of redemption.

Many people know Christians as people who tear each other down. We need to develop the opposite reputation by reconstructing our true calling. Every believer is a living stone in the temple of God, the place where his glory dwells. You may not see that in yourself, but that’s exactly why you need fellow believers to recognize the treasure and call it forth, and why they need you to do the same. The more we focus on the treasures in each other, the more they grow. The more we encourage, the stronger both the encouragers and the ones encouraged become. And the stronger we become, the more the body of Christ begins to look like the Kingdom of God and the community of love it was designed to be.

{Lord, forgive me for focusing on the shortcomings of others and for neglecting the ministry of encouragement. Give me timely words that build others up and strengthen both them and me. Amen.