RPG Adults
EDIFY ONE ANOTHER
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Hebrews 10:24-25
“…comfort yourselves together,
and edify one another…”
EDIFY ONE ANOTHER
When we study the doctrines concerning the future return of Jesus, it must have practical implications for us in the present. The Bible gives us these glimpses into the future not so we can satiate a curiosity, or to pique some academic fascination. It must be applied to our lives and provoke us in the present to occupy till the Lord Jesus returns.
As Paul concluded this section, he ended with an instruction to the believers. In light of all that he had discussed concerning the rapture and the day of the Lord, they were to “comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” Both these verbs are imperatives in the present tense, meaning these are commands that believers must continually obey, exhorting one another in the Lord.
To comfort one another is to come alongside someone and exhort or call him. In this context, it is to call them to look to Christ, reminding them of all that Christ has done for them, and then to exhort them to live for Christ. This is a comfort in light of the Lord’s return, for it grants us certainty that there is meaning to our life in the present. There is hope that we look forward to, knowing that Christ will soon return to take us to glory.
To edify is a construction term meaning to build up, for example, a structure or a building. Spiritually speaking, it means that we actively seek to build up one another’s spiritual lives. Through our mutual support and edification, we help one another to grow in the Lord. As fellow saints, we must seek to encourage one another towards greater service for God, to seek to provoke one another unto love and good works, and as Hebrews 10:25 says, “so much the more, as ye see the day (of the Lord) approaching.” The knowledge that the Lord is coming soon should, all the more, motivate us to do what we can while there is still time. Together, as we comfort and edify one another, we can all grow together in the Lord and be ready for His return.
THOUGHT: Does my presence in the lives of the people around me draw them closer to, or push them further away from, the Lord?
PRAYER: Father, I thank Thee for bringing people into my lives who have helped to encourage me, and build me up in the faith.