Photo Above: (Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar) Zaragoza, Spain. Photographer: Jiuguang Wang
Hope and Encouragement
Christians are called to be people of hope. The Apostle Paul ends his well-known passage on love to the Corinthian church by stating that faith, hope, and love are three things that are enduring. Our greatest hope as Christians is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, I also believe we should be people of hope in all of the many different facets of life by being people of encouragement.
A few years back an Australian man named Don Ritchie passed away. A man appropriately nick named the Angel of the gap. Mr. Ritchie earned this nick name for being credited with talking over 160 people out of suicide over 50 years. The late Australian lived in Watson’s bay known as one of the most picturesque places in Sydney harbor but also known as one of the most prolific places for suicides.
Whenever Don would see someone near the Bridge from his house he would walk over to them with a kind and sympathetic voice and invite them over for tea with him and his wife. He once said an offer of help “was often all that was needed to turn people around and he would say not to underestimate the power of a kind word and a smile”, his wife said to Sydney Morning Herald after his passing.*
As Christians we should always take note on the possible influence we can make on others. Love the unlovely, encourage the discouraged, bring company to the lonely, preach the gospel, and live by the spirit.
Paul tells the Galatian Church that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law.”
two minute devotional 