Hello, My Dear Friends,
Many of you know how much I love the book of Proverbs. Every single verse could be a sermon. Most of Proverbs, we believe, was written by Solomon, said to be the wisest person who ever lived, and in Proverbs, chapter 11, he gives us a simple but incredible principle: “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). You could also use the word “replenish,” as in, “Whoever replenishes others will also be replenished.”
What Solomon knew was that all of us need to be encouraged. Part of the normal human condition, I’m convinced, is that everyone of us has some level of self-doubt and insecurity. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, once said there is an international sign that you can use to determine whether a person needs encouragement or not. Now, Truett traveled all around the world, so he should know. He said the international sign that you can use to tell whether people need encouragement is if they are breathing. If people are breathing, they need encouragement.
Do you know where we get this right? We get this right at funerals. You’ve been to funerals; “He was the greatest guy who ever lived. He was just amazing.” “She was one of the finest women who ever walked the face of the earth. I cannot praise her enough.”
However, there is one problem: They’re already gone. That’s why I love this statement from Coach John Wooden. He said, “Don’t wait to give people roses of encouragement at their funeral. Give them roses of encouragement while it is still today.”
Encouragement is huge — it’s not just a nice thing to do when you can find the time. But there’s something else at stake here, and this is a principle, and a principle always applies: When you replenish others, you, too, will be replenished. If you ever feel like your reserves are low, then Solomon is saying move toward replenishing others, move toward encouraging, because when you do, you will be replenished.
I urge you to direct your conversations more toward encouragement and away from criticism, and then watch what happens. Here’s how Paul described it in 2 Corinthians 3:3. He said that when you do this, you will reveal that you are a letter from Christ. I love that. When you do this, you show that you are a letter from Christ — to your spouse or partner, to your children, to your friends, to people at work. You are a letter from Christ.
When you replenish others, you too will be replenished,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
