Life and Death

Several years ago, I did a correspondence counseling course called ABCE – Association for Biblical Counselling & Education. Pioneered by Larry Crabb, its goal is “to free people to better worship and serve God by helping them become more like the Lord.” In the years since I did the course, I have mobilized many people from various continents to do this same training, and I have many of Larry Crabb’s writing on my bookshelf. You can imagine my surprise when I came across the following testimony.

 As a youth, Larry Crabb developed a stutter that once humiliated him in a school assembly. Not long after this event, he prayed aloud during a church service. This time his stutter caused him to get both his words and his theology mixed up. He expected a stern correction from the leadership and decided to slip out of the service. One thing he was sure about – he would never again speak in public. On his way out, an older man caught up with him, “Larry, there’s one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.” Larry shared that his resolve never to speak in public again disappeared into thin air. Today, he is a respected public speaker, effortlessly addressing large crowds worldwide. 

 This week we are meditating on the concept of encouragement, and today we are looking at Proverbs 18:21, the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. In the light of this scripture, we can call encouragement “life words” as they cheer up, comfort, and console others – just like the elderly gentleman’s words of encouragement gave life to a young Larry Crabb’s defeated dreams of one-day entering the ministry of some sort. 

 We must remember that what we say begins deep inside of us, and thus we must diligently care for our thought life, for once we put our thoughts into words, we must understand that they will either produce poison that will lead to death or fruit that will nourish and strengthen. 

 In a Desiring God article,[1] the writer reminds us that in John 14:26, where the Holy Spirit is called our “Helper,” Jesus used the noun form of the verb encourage. In other words, as our Encourager, the Holy Spirit is an “empowering presence” and “helper” among us. 

• As God’s hands, feet, and mouthpiece – there are numerous ways we can encourage and help others, coming alongside them with hope and help. 
• We can verbally encourage people with positive words, admiring their talents and celebrating their successes!
• We can write notes to our family members, not just on their birthdays, but when we pack their lunch boxes or pray for them! 
• We can visit lonely people and help them with technology, advice, and practical assistance – as God leads us! Often, they are not touched with love or laughter, for there are many whose loved ones live far away. Others don’t know Jesus and are stuck in old thought patterns and held prisoner because of their unwillingness to forgive. Then there are mothers with small or sick children juggling work and kids, a tight budget, and long hours. May God show us today how we can bring life, not death, help and hope, not doom and gloom, and build others up with faith and trust as we help them look up, not down! 

 GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: Ask God to show you how you can tap into His Holy Spirit as an “Empowering Presence” and “Helper” more regularly and more desperately – so that together with Him, we can communally and creatively choose LIFE and be LIFE. This reminds me of the proverb: correction may mold us, but encouragement will motivate us! 

  [1] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-surprising-ministry-of-encouragement