Salmon Journey
Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:2 - Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us. (NKJV)
A couple of years ago, I wrote a devotional after watching the salmon swim upstream at the falls near where we live. Last year when I went to watch them again, it was a totally different scene. The water level of the river had gone down so much that there was little or no water where the falls had been before. As a result, the salmon couldn't possibly make it upstream.
I was amazed and pleased to see that people were using nets to catch them and transport them to a place where they could continue their journey. Likewise, in our Christian walk, we often face situations that make it almost impossible for us to continue our journey. It is at these times that we can be an encouragement to others or receive help and encouragement from others. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it". As members of God's family, we should rejoice when others rejoice and weep when others weep. We should always be ready to help and encourage one another and also to accept the same from others in our time of need.
Be ye encouragers!
Something as simple as an appropriate hug, a phone call, a listening ear, or a note of encouragement might be all a person needs to lift them up and enable them to carry on. Or it may mean visiting someone who is sick in the hospital or someone in a nursing home who is lonely and has no family close by, or taking an elderly neighbor to do some grocery shopping -- the list is never-ending. There are so many people who need a helping hand or a word of encouragement. We can be Christians to a hurting world.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the opportunities You give us to help one another as we journey through life. Make us aware of times when we can be an encouragement to another person, and help us to accept encouragement from others when we are struggling to continue our own journey. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Dee Renaud
Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:2 - Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us. (NKJV)
A couple of years ago, I wrote a devotional after watching the salmon swim upstream at the falls near where we live. Last year when I went to watch them again, it was a totally different scene. The water level of the river had gone down so much that there was little or no water where the falls had been before. As a result, the salmon couldn't possibly make it upstream.
I was amazed and pleased to see that people were using nets to catch them and transport them to a place where they could continue their journey. Likewise, in our Christian walk, we often face situations that make it almost impossible for us to continue our journey. It is at these times that we can be an encouragement to others or receive help and encouragement from others. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it". As members of God's family, we should rejoice when others rejoice and weep when others weep. We should always be ready to help and encourage one another and also to accept the same from others in our time of need.
Be ye encouragers!
Something as simple as an appropriate hug, a phone call, a listening ear, or a note of encouragement might be all a person needs to lift them up and enable them to carry on. Or it may mean visiting someone who is sick in the hospital or someone in a nursing home who is lonely and has no family close by, or taking an elderly neighbor to do some grocery shopping -- the list is never-ending. There are so many people who need a helping hand or a word of encouragement. We can be Christians to a hurting world.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the opportunities You give us to help one another as we journey through life. Make us aware of times when we can be an encouragement to another person, and help us to accept encouragement from others when we are struggling to continue our own journey. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Dee Renaud
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