THURSDAY August 8th
Ephesians 6:21-24
‘So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.’
We have covered the verses concerning the armour of God, but for the last couple of days for this week, I am going to add a few thoughts from Paul’s closing remarks as he ends this letter to the Ephesians. I am on holiday from Saturday for two weeks, so we will return with a new theme afterwards. For today the words ‘that he may encourage your hearts’ then tomorrow the final blessing.
As I commenced these devotions back in November last year looking at the life and the ministry of Paul, we will have seen that beside fulfilling what Jesus had commissioned him to do, which was to carry his name to the children of Israel, to the Gentiles and to Kings, Paul also gave much of his time over to encouraging the believers and the churches. Evident of course from the letters he had written to them, which we also benefit from ourselves today.
As a result, by taking us through the devotions each week, my purpose right from the very start way back in March 2020 was firstly to encourage us as we traversed through the period of Covid-19 and I have by God’s grace and with his help, continued to do so since then and so far, this is devotion number 1086. I trust that you will have been encouraged, and still are being encouraged, I personally have been encouraged and strengthened myself as I have prepared them. But the ministry of encouragement is not specific to the pastor or an elder or those who have positions of responsibility in the church, it is a ministry that we can and should all be doing, encouraging one another as we seek to mutually support one another in the faith.
When did you or I last encourage someone, maybe, it is possible that there are those who we fellowship with that we have never given a word of encouragement to, maybe we don’t even say hello to them when we gather together, because we are busy with other things, or talking with the same ones each week, we can so easily just send a little message, text a verse, even a few smiley emojis to let them know we are thinking of them and to brighten up their day.
Think of someone today who you could just send a little encouragement to, I like to think that Paul was always thinking of others, ready always to give that word of encouragement. In our text today beside the letter he had written to encourage them, he was also sending Tychicus to encourage them even further. Think about it, he wrote so many of his letters while he himself was a prisoner, he could have just spent his time feeling sorry for himself, but no, he sent not a few words, but whole letters full of encouragement.