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Men of Integrity, Nov/Dec 2000
Getting What We Brag On
This Week's Theme: How to Encourage
Monday, November 20
Key Bible Verse: … the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down (2 Corinthians 10:8b).
Bonus Reading: Acts 11:19-26
I can't do all things, but I sure believed it when I was growing up. Every day my father told me that he loved me and that I was special. Whenever I was discouraged and heartbroken, all I had to do was to give him a call, and he'd be there.
Some parents believe that if you brag on your kids too much, it will go to their heads and they'll become arrogant. The opposite is true. Kids who don't receive encouragement from their parents grow up resentful and bitter. Believe me, plenty of things come up in this life to make us humble. A little encouragement isn't going to go to anyone's head.
One day Dad and I were on an elevator, and a father and son joined us on the ride down. My father was in a jolly mood and started talking casually to the man. My father said, "I bet you're as proud of your son as I am of mine." The man looked at my father, then at his son, and said, "I'll tell you later how I feel. I don't want what I say to go to his head." We got off the elevator, and Dad said, "Son, what that man said was very foolish. Don't ever do that." He passed up the chance to show his son how much he loved him.
—Matthew Barnett in The Church That Never Sleeps
Respond:
Why is it so hard for us to tell someone that we love and appreciate him?
Thought to Apply:
Give someone a pat on the back because everyone's getting a kick in the pants.
—Tommy Barnett (Arizona pastor)
Adapted from The Church That Never Sleeps (Nelson, 2000).
NOTE: For your convenience, The Church That Never Sleeps is available in the ChristianityToday.com Shopping Channel.
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Prayer for the Week |
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My Father, I pray for the gift of being a load-lifter this week.
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