Today’s Inspiration. Love God. Love your neighbor. That’s what we’ve been exploring since Day 19. And while your neighbor turned out to be anyone around you, the Bible also tells us to pay special attention to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. One of those verses is today’s inspiration:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)

We’ll look to the words Therefore encourage one another for the challenge today.

Today’s Challenge. One thing I’ve learned from sitting under wise, Bible-loving pastors all my life: When you see the word therefore at the beginning of the verse, you need to know what came before it. Knowing that will help you put the verse into context.

Your challenge today, then, is to pray for understanding and then read through 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. You know Paul is telling his readers (and you!) to encourage one another, but why? The therefore indicates that he has just given the reason for this. In English we know this little word as a transition word, meant to connect two ideas and show the relationship between them. What Paul’s saying here is, Your brothers and sisters in Christ need you to encourage them. I’ve just given you the reasons they need this encouragement. 

Your mission? To read through and understand those reasons.

Today’s Participation. Complete the statement, “I need to encourage other Christians because ______________.” Use your understanding of the passage you read today to help you complete it. Then share the statement with someone either face to face or online.