In my First 5 a few days ago we talked about a man named Onesiphorus. I have to be honest, up until this point in my life, I had not given much thought to Onesiphorus. He's only mentioned briefly in Paul's second letter to Timothy. But it turns out that he actually played an important role at a critical moment in the life of the apostle Paul.
II Timothy was written by Paul while in a prison cell in Rome. At this point, Paul was near the end of his life. He had lived through tremendous persecution and trial. Many of those who had once supported him, or worked with him, and now abandoned him for fear of being persecuted themselves. During one of the lowest times in Paul's life, Onesiphorus was one of the very few who stayed by his side. When Paul was arrested and imprisoned, Onesiphorus went to Rome to seek him out so he could help and support him.
To Paul, Onesiphorus was an encourager. And in his letter to Timothy, Paul calls him out by name, asking God's blessing over him and his family. There wasn't a lot that Onesiphorus could do for Paul, but he was there when Paul needed him most. He lifted Paul's spirits and kept him going in spite of his circumstances.
I want to be Onesiphorus. I want to be an encourager. There are so many things in this life that can be discouraging. We will all, at times, go through difficult circumstance, receive bad news or face daunting challenges. And there are days when it is easy to become discouraged. We all need encouragers in our lives. People who come alongside us to cheer us on and help us to continue to move forward when we feel like quitting.
And I believe we can, and should, all be encouragers. Each of us can be an Onesiphorus to someone. We can be that person who comes alongside someone who's having a rough day (or a rough year) and be a voice of encouragement to them. We can be the one to offer hope in a way that builds up another. And the truth is, it's not even that hard. First, we have to show up. We just have to be present for that person who is going through a rough season.
Simply being there for someone, particularly when others are not, can be a point of great encouragement. And then we have to speak words of life. Remind people that God is still with them. That the hard season will pass and that God will bring good from bad. Sometimes it is as simple as a smile or a hug at the right moment.
Onesiphorus was an encourager to Paul at a time when he particularly needed it. And I know that if we are willing, we can be encouragers in our world for those who need a word of hope. So, my encouragement to all of us is to find someone that we can encourage today.
God Bless,
Pastor Steve
BTW, if you missed the Christmas Day online service I would encourage you to check it out. It was awesome. It is currently still posted on the front page of our website. I would encourage you to check it out at this link.