By Karen Roper
I love the first word of this website – inspirational or inspiration. Inspiration in the Oxford dictionary means infuse thought or feeling into. It is a word which speaks to us of hope, encouragement and purpose. It is what the world is crying out for today. Too much of the news today is bad. We want to infuse hope and encouragement into each other. We want people to find hope in God and once they have found it, for them to be encouraged and an encourager.
The verse that speaks to me the most about this is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:18. It says “So encourage one another with these words”. What words? The words above that verse that tells us about the return of Jesus. Why is that so encouraging? Because what we see and hear around us is not all there is. There is something better ahead for those who believe in Jesus. So how else do we encourage each other in today’s world. I believe by doing the following things:

1. Keep going to church and if you can’t, meet with other Christians. In Hebrews 10:25 it says not to neglect our meeting together and all the more as you see Jesus’ return coming closer. We need all the encouragement we can get as we walk in our day to day lives. When going through hard circumstances, we need to know others are standing with us and praying for us. God wants us as a family – a loving and nurturing one – one that loves to meet together.
2. Pray for one another. This is a big one. When you know you are not forgotten and walking alone, there is a hope that comes around our lives. We can stand together because God says one can put a thousand to flight but two can put ten thousand to flight. Imagine what three, ten, twenty or fifty of us can do.
3. Speak kind words to one another. Be encouraging by the way you speak. Don’t let condemnation or judgement cloud the way we see each other. See people how God sees them and encourage them when they are down or have wandered from the path. They may do the same to you one day.

So this week, be an encourager. Let your words lift others up. Go to church not thinking what you are going to get but what you are going to give. Stand with others in prayer. We are all in the race and all want to finish strong. Bless you heaps!
Karen Roper – Living the Life God Intended