“Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 11:15 NLT)
Have you ever had one person tell you something, and then shortly afterwards somebody else told you the same thing? Have you ever heard a sermon preached, but you weren’t convinced until another preacher said the same thing? In an everyday situation, did someone ever give you constructive criticism about an area where you needed further development, but you shrugged it off until a person whose opinion you respected and valued told you the same thing? Of course, you have had some experience similar to these, experiences where you were told something twice, and being convinced, you did not have to be told a third time.
Friday, a school administrator who sends daily sayings to teachers, friends, and family, sent me a picture of a poster that had these words, “We rise by lifting others.” The saying sounded familiar. I thought I had seen these words on a wall hanging somewhere in my house, so I started looking in a couple of rooms. Sure enough, I found it, a farmhouse style, wooden art piece that said the same exact words, “We rise by lifting others.” When you are told twice, and convinced that what you were told had biblical merit, you don’t have be told a third time. When you have been told twice, you don’t need to be told again.
So today, I am going to try and lift somebody up! How about you doing the same? Lift someone up with a compliment? Rise up and lift somebody else by commenting on their faithfulness? Tell somebody you appreciate their devotion to the work at your church, and let them be lifted up by your words. Let somebody know that you have not forgotten them in prayer. If you see someone downtrodden, brought down by situations in life, bless them by sharing you have been exactly where they are, but the Lord, in due time, made everything alright. Be the salt of the earth and the light of the world in the presence of others. Remember, “We rise by lifting others up.” Have a wonderful worship service too! Be blessed!
“Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!” (Isaiah 60:1 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)
Mark L. King