Encourage and Challenge

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

The best mentors in my life have always been a good mix of both encouragement and challenge. Having equal parts of each in a mentoring relationship is a recipe for growth. Imagine the outcome if Paul had only encouraged in this moment. This group of people would not have had the vision of spiritual progress before them. Only experiencing a challenge from Paul would have left them feeling demoralized.

Making forward spiritual progress and becoming a better man requires affirmation of the positive and a vision of how to move forward. Take a moment to mentally build a list of all the areas of recent spiritual success. Now think next steps that would push you to a whole new level as a disciple of Christ. Share this list and ask another man for feedback in order to make refine it and make it stick.

DO THIS TODAY: Decide to push yourself in some area of your discipleship.