Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

I don’t know about you, but for me the biggest obstacle to encouraging  others is my own past... old relationship wounds that get opened unexpectedly.   Yet as God’s children, we are to encourage one another.  Our fellowship with other believers should occur DAILY to encourage one another and build one another up in Christ.   This is necessary for staying healthy and balanced in our Christian lives.  We are all tempted every day, so it is extremely important to have Christian friends to hold us accountable for our actions, thoughts, and words.  

God created us as relational, emotional beings but when our relationship with God was broken in the Garden of Eden, all relationships became broken.  No doubt, there will be times we find ourselves at odds with one another.  Until all is made perfect again when Jesus returns, we need to remain in the Word of God and be united with our brothers and sisters.  

We are all on a different healing path with God.  There will be times when we need to ask God to reveal the true condition of our hearts.  We have an enemy who seeks to destroy us and he is good at creating “blind spots.”  He blinds us from seeing our own faults and weaknesses.  He is also really good at convincing us that it’s not our fault, it is our friend’s fault.

When we ask God to shine His light of truth on our blind spots, we must keep our focus on Him.  This is why we need unity within the Body of Christ.  This is where God’s love overflows and His glory is on display.  We have a loving Father who places His children together for specific seasons of growth and maturing.  A friend of mine once said, “We are going to be in heaven TOGETHER some day.  God gives us training wheels here to see if we can ride down the same sidewalk without constantly bumping into each other.”

Are there friends you need to forgive or make amends with?  Are your friendships glorifying God?  Relationships are very difficult and they take so much work.  But God places each one of His children together for His purposes.  Can you think of a few friends you want to encourage today?  How long has it been since you told them how special they are to you or how much you value their friendship?  

Heavenly Father, You are our Best Friend and You bless us with close friends and companions.  We often make a mess of our relationships because we let ourselves get in the way of what You are doing through them.  You give us friends to transform us into who You want us to be.  When we don’t look to You and we go off on our own, we inevitably come running back to You to repair the damage we have done.  We thank You for blessing our lives with beautiful friendships that You ordained before we were even born.  We pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.