Each week, Pastor Izzy from Courageous Church joins Leah and Dan to explore a Bible verse in depth. Read or listen to his full message below!
In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Paul is writing a letter to the early church, reminding them that life is short. Earlier in the chapter, he speaks about Jesus’ return and how we don’t know how much time we have. And because of that, he tells us, don’t waste time tearing each other down. Instead, invest in building one another up.
This got me thinking, building takes time. Encouragement isn’t a one-time thing. You don’t just say one nice thing and consider your job done. It’s an ongoing effort.
I learned this lesson the hard way when I decided to build a deck. I saw a YouTube video titled Build a Deck in a Day, and I thought, How hard could it be? So, I went to Bunnings, grabbed a bunch of wood, loaded it onto my trailer and got to work. Long story short, what was supposed to take a day turned into a six-month project! I didn’t realise how much work goes into it, laying foundations, digging, and making sure it is secure.
And that’s exactly how it is when we build each other up. It’s not a quick job. You don’t just encourage someone once and expect them to be built up forever. It’s daily. It’s consistent. It’s an investment. Just like a deck needs a solid foundation, people need steady encouragement.
This applies in every area of life, marriage, parenting, friendships, work, church, and even interactions with strangers. Maybe you’ve thought something positive about someone but never said it out loud. What if today was the day you told them? What if your encouragement was the thing that helped someone keep going?
Because life is short. We don’t know how much time we have, but we do know that we can choose how we spend it. Let’s be people who build each other up, one word, one action, one day at a time.