Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 NIV
Encourage
Charles “Checker” Marvin Tomkins was a member of a classified project that involved encrypting sensitive information during the Second World War. A Métis Cree speaker, Tomkins grew up in a large family in Grouard, Alberta. Stationed in England in 1940, he was tasked with “encrypting” messages into Cree. These would then be sent elsewhere in the field, where another Cree code talker would translate the information back into English. Tomkins and his fellow Indigenous encryption officers were true Canadian heroes who played an integral role in transmitting intelligence and protecting the troops.
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There are a lot of discouraged people in the world today. With everything going on, and around the clock news bombarding us, it is easy to give up hope. Those of us who have Jesus at the centre of our lives are called to first keep our eyes on Him during these days, and then to offer to others the encouragement we receive from him. The apostle Paul puts this clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:18: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Paul has just been reminding them that Jesus is coming again, and the faithful will rise to be with Him in eternity. This world is not all there is. Jesus is in control of the things of this world that He died to save, and one day, soon, He is coming again to make all things right. On the days when things look hopeless, it is the hope of His return that offers hope to us who love him, and we are called to encourage each other as we wait for His sure return.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley