I ask your prayer for effective ministry this Father’s Day at Tulare First Assembly of God as I minister with dear friends, Pastor Chuck and Ruth Atherton, in Tulare, CA. Due to travel and ministry responsibilities, the usual schedule for publishing EDL may not resume until later next week. Because of study responsibilities today, I am sharing this devotional from the EDL archives, available at our website, www.allenrandolph.com. On this Father’s Day weekend, I encourage you be a person of spiritual influence, for which God commended Abraham, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord . . that the Lord may bring to pass that which He has spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19 KJV. Spiritual influence releases God investment in you, and through you to others. Blessings!
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“Think of ways to encourage one another.” Hebrews 10:24 NLT.
Without your encouragement, others will not become all they can be.
My thoughts and comment today are about “cheerleaders.”
Everybody loves cheerleaders. You love their energy and enthusiasm. They clearly believe in something and give their all in support and encouragement of others’ best efforts. Two of our granddaughters have been cheerleaders and I loved watching them. What’s not to love? I saw a side of their personalities not often displayed.
They are there to cheer their team to victory, and include the spectators in their own expectations. And more, they work to get everyone else involved and excited too. Even if you are not as excited as they are, you want to be, if only for their sakes. Watch their engaging smiles, coordinated jumps and movements, and listen to the cadence of their voices – assured, positive, enthusiastic, joyful.
What’s the cheerleaders’ message? It’s in their name. They cheer the players to be better than they would, and lead others to join the cheer and become encouragers too. Cheerleaders themselves cannot add a single point on the scoreboard, except by lifting their voices to empower the players on the court or field who can. Their message is all about playing hard, doing your best, believing, succeeding, and winning. Isn’t that what you want life to be about – doing your best, working hard, believing, and succeeding?
Everybody needs cheerleaders. Did you know the Bible has a lot to say about cheerleaders? The Bible calls them encouragers. In fact, the church was barely begun when one person became so known for his lifestyle of encouragement that his friends changed his name to mean, “son of encouragement.” Acts 4:36-37 NIV. Some are especially gifted to lead the cheers, “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well . . if your gift is to encourage others, do it!” Romans 12:6/8 NLT.
Reading the New Testament, it quickly becomes clear that everyone is meant to be an encourager. You don’t accidentally become a cheerleader; you choose to be one and devote a lot of time and effort practicing your cheers.“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 NLT. I love that phrasing – “. . outburst of love and good deeds!”
I am thankful for cheerleaders in my life and ministry. As a child, I was shy and not very confident, but my Mom and Dad celebrated what I was and believed in what I would become (and being their first grandchild, my paternal grandparents were convinced I was unlike any other ever born). Across the years, God brought teachers, friends, and mentors – and most of all, Gayle and our family, and our Church families – people who were willing to lead the cheers and encourage me to believe and achieve. In turn, I hope I have been an encourager to others as so many have been to me. Thank you Warren, Campbell, Kenny, Des, Don, Amos, and so many other friends too many to name.
Who leads the cheers for you? Recognize and appreciate them. You will never be your best without them. More importantly, who are you cheering on to braver attempts and bigger accomplishments? Here’s what I have observed: cheering others results in others cheering you. Others around you are not all they can become, if you are not regularly encouraging them to dream bigger, be more, believe stronger, reach higher, and press harder.
I think Peter perfectly captures my thoughts and intent today: “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.” 1 Peter 5:12 NLT. No matter what happens, be encouraged in God.
My prayer for you today is this: be encouraged and encourage others exuberantly.