11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Relationships can be tricky to navigate. Any relationship, whether it is with your spouse, your child, a lifelong friend, or a new acquaintance, is bound to ebb and flow with periods of highs and lows. Even with our best efforts and intentions to keep a relationship strong, we are likely to find seasons of lulls or struggles that have to be worked through to keep the relationship healthy.
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul shows that our relationship with the Lord can be subject to the same ups and downs. He reminds us that encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ is necessary to help us maintain a healthy relationship.
In verses 1-2, Paul begins by telling the church at Thessalonica that they do not need anything to be written to them about the end times, because they know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Yet he then takes the time to write about the importance of staying awake and being serious about preparing for the coming day. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to keep doing what they have been doing in their preparations.
Paul understands that even though the church at Thessalonica seemed to be holding strong in their faith in the Lord, there would come a day when some of them would begin to struggle. Paul is reminding them that when that time comes, they are to be children of the light and of the day. They should be quick to build each other up in community so they will hold strong in their faith together.
The message for us today should be no different. Christians who are engaged in community are providing themselves with additional methods of strengthening their relationship with the Lord. In strong community, our close friends can help us shift our focus from the darkness which threatens to consume us, to living in the light with the Lord.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Are you currently in a high point, low point, or somewhere in between in your relationship with the Lord?
- Do you have a community of believers with whom you engage regularly?
- Is there someone in your life who needs encouragement today who you can reach out to?