Words to encourage...

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Ephesians 5:19-20

Speak to one another is the first mark of a Christian who is being matured by the filling of the Holy Spirit: “...Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs.”

In other words, these Christians are addressing one another in a way that encourages their mutual edification. Even in their conversation with one another, their desire is to edify, to build up, to encourage. It’s addressing and exhorting and encouraging one another—in this case, he says, with scriptural songs, or songs that are scriptural and spiritual—so that we’re moved to adoration and confession and thanksgiving, and petition and intercession.

An elder at Gethsemane Church of Christ is particularly good at doing this. Any time I got a note from him, he almost always began it by quoting a long passage of Scripture before he then moves on to a word of encouragement. And even sometimes when I was talking with him, he’ll start the conversation off by quoting Scripture, and then we would move into the substance of what it is that we’re going to talk about. And very often in his prayer he would quote Scripture first, verbatim, and then move into lifting up the specific praises or petitions to God. Cleveland Bosher will always be a good and encouraging example to me.

Yesterday, I was talking to one of the mothers of the congregation as she walked into the church, I was reminded of another manifestation of this speaking with one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. She was talking about the importance of parents encouraging their children to read the Bible, and to ask them what they’re reading, and what they’re learning from the Bible, so that their conversation is filled from time to time by talking about the things of the Lord, naturally; that we would desire to have that as a normal part of our interaction with one another in human relationships, whether parent and child, or friend and friend.

Well, the Apostle Paul says the person who’s being Spirit-filled has a conversation which is filled with the truth of God’s word in a way that encourages or edifies our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. That’s one mark of a Christian who is being matured by the Holy Spirit.

Lord, Help me to have encouraging words today! Amen.

I am sending encouraging words your way - you know I love ya - Don