We\u2019ve come to the end of another school year, so this will be my last writing for a while. Susan and I appreciate your love and prayers. Those who encourage others often don\u2019t realize how important this is in the Body of Christ.<\/p>\n
The younger generation needs encouragement these days. Many, many struggle with a lack of foundation and purpose. This may seem odd since so many accolades and privileges are showered on young people, but despite the well-intended efforts to build self-esteem and confidence, the lies of the enemy are more frequently believed: \u201cYou\u2019re not good enough\u2026\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve got to prove your worth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Drowned out are God\u2019s truths: \u201cYou are loved with an everlasting love\u2026\u201d \u201cI have created you for a purpose\u2026\u201d Young people need encouragers who not only echo what God says but live authentic lives showing His messages to be true. Words are important, but kids are impacted more by what they see than what they hear.<\/p>\n
When Paul wrote to early believers: \u201cImitate me as I imitate Christ,\u201d he was pointing to the One who is the true Source of encouragement. If our children don\u2019t find their identity in Christ, they will be constantly \u2018tossed to and fro\u2019 by the waves of this world. \u2018Building up\u2019 that which lasts is a building up of faith in the One who \u2018holds all things together.\u2019<\/p>\n
David once wrote: \u201cThe Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.\u201d (Psalm 138:8) Faith means I know this to be true. No matter how bad I look or weak I get or lonely I feel, I can say with confidence: \u201cIt\u2019s OK, Jesus is with me and He\u2019ll never leave. He has a purpose for my life and He will work it all out. His love endures forever and by His grace I will trust and follow Him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Can young people adopt such a mindset? The answer is \u2018Yes\u2019, but only with Christ. In Christ we see the One who gave up everything, was despised and rejected, and yet, overcame. He overcame because He lived in His Father, and He encourages us to do the same.<\/p>\n
Have a great summer!<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.\u201d I Thessalonians 5:11<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.\u201d John 14:19-20<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.\u201d John 15:5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve come to the end of another school year, so this will be my last writing for a while. Susan and I appreciate your love and prayers. Those who encourage others often don\u2019t realize how important this is in the Body of Christ. The younger generation needs encouragement these days. Many, many struggle with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hope"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3803,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3800\/revisions\/3803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airwoof.org\/journey\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}