Good Morning Friends,
“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
Not everyone needs the same kind of treatment from us. Even the same person doesn’t always need the same kind of treatment. The kind of treatment that people need depends on what they are facing and how they are facing it.
Those who are idle don’t need to be helped to stay idle. They need a swift kick to get them started again. Paul calls it a warning. The timid don’t need a swift kick, they need encouragement. They need a kind and gentle word that will help them know someone else is with them and there to help them. The weak don’t need to be made to stand on their own. They need a helping hand in their trouble.
You determine what someone needs by looking carefully at what they are going through and looking carefully at the kind of attitude they have toward what they are facing. The challenge is to give each person what he or she needs most.
And there are a few things that everyone needs. Everyone needs patience. No matter what a person is going through or how they are facing it, patience from us will help them. The idle, the timid, the weak, no one is going to change in an instant. Everyone needs to be treated with patience. And everyone needs to be treated with kindness. Even discipline is to be done with a kind heart, a heart that wants what is best for the one being disciplined.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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