We all face many challenges in our lives and need encouragement as we travel through the journey of life. Joshua was to take Moses’ place in leading the children of Israel into the land of Canaan. Moses exhorted the children of Israel to encourage Joshua in his new leadership role. “But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” (Deut. 1:38). Moses disobeyed God and wasn’t allowed to enter Canaan’s land, and he directly charged Joshua and encouraged him, “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.” (Deut. 31:7). It is good to have someone urge us to have courage because God never fails to uphold His people and give them strength in their time of need. There are many “fear not” examples in the word of God that give us strnegth and courage. Isaiah tells us, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isa. 41:10). We can encourage ourselves in the Lord when things seem to go awry; however, the enouagement of brothers and sisters in Christ is far better. What better way to encourage one another than to gather together in the assembly of the saints to worship our Creator? We speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to begin the service and it gives us a lift. The message of the Pastor also encourages us as he reminds us that God has promised never to leave or forsake His children. The more people that are gathered to worship the Lord, the greater will be the encouragement. If the Pastor is discouraged when the congregation is sparse, then surely the congregation will also be discouraged. Just seeing the Lord by an eye of faith and seeing one another brings great strength and encouragment. May we all show our appreciation for devotion to the Lord by expressing verbally, as did Moses, our thanks for a job well done, even the little things that we often take for granted. Solomon said, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” (Prov. 25:11). Sometimes it is not the words that bring encouragement, it is the physical presence of someone in time of need. May we all be alert for the opportunity to bring encouragement to the people of God. Paul said, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10)-April 9, 2012–Elder Larry Wise
