1 THESSALONIANS 5:9-11 - BUILD EACH OTHER UP

Build each other up.

Don’t tear each other down.

Don’t say something with a smile on your face

That will make your brother frown.

His face may not show it on the outside;

He may laugh as you tease him and joke.

But inwardly the truth in your words can hurt

And cause him on self-doubt to choke.

Build each other up.

Point out your brother’s good.

Pat his back a little. Put a smile on his face,

It will help him to live as he should.

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath

but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, 
we may live together with him. 
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, 
just as in fact you are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NIV)

ŏikŏdŏmĕō³⁶¹⁸ –to be a house-builder, i.e. construct or (fig.) confirm: (be in) builder (-er, -ing, up), edify, embolden.

            I despise put-down jokes. I can think them up as fast as anyone, but I try to bite my tongue and refrain from saying them out loud. We hear them all the time, even among our Christian friends. But no matter how much they make us laugh or are presented as “all in good fun,” they can cut to the heart.

            I have a choice. I can be a builder in God’s church, or I can be a one-woman demolition crew. I can use my words to encourage a fellow believer in following the Lord and using his talents to the glory of God, or I can toss out careless phrases that make him doubt his usefulness in the Kingdom.

            From years of teaching I know that well-chosen words can make a tremendous difference in a child’s life. If you tell a child he’s slow, he will believe it and fail to achieve.  If you celebrate each small victory along the way, he will far surpass your expectations. I read somewhere that it takes ten positive comments to make up for one negative. I believe it. Once a child is discouraged by a careless word, the people in his life have to work overtime to build him back up.

            We don’t grow out of that.  Adults can be discouraged or encouraged by our words as well. To encourage means to give courage, to embolden. The Lord instructs us to be in the construction business, the business of building bold believers for the betterment of God’s kingdom. Put on your hard hat, and let’s go to work!

            Lord, may my words always be well-chosen in order to build up my friends and relatives rather than to tear them down. Remind me of these verses when I am tempted to resort to put-down humor. Thank you, Lord, for the encouragers in my life who have chosen to praise rather than point out faults. Thank you, most of all, for the encouragement found in your Word.