Encouragement Quotient Devotion

I clicked a random link in my feed reader today and ended up here:
You've Been Chosen to Clap and Cheer - Hebrews 10:24-25
I'll share some of the highlights but it is worth a read - it was just what I needed this morning and there were things in it that made it seem like a little nudge from God.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews By Birth And Christians By Faith

To be Hebrews by birth meant that they had entered into the world of Old Testament ritual. They knew and obeyed the Law of Moses. They kept the dietary laws. They sang the Psalms of David. They observed the feast days and tithed their income. They read the prophets and kept the Sabbath day holy. They were Jews from first to last.To be Christians by faith meant that they had heard and believed the Gospel message. They had seen that Jesus was the promised Messiah and they had trusted in that great fact. They now believed that all of the Old Testament pointed toward the coming of Christ. And having made that step of faith, they identified themselves with the fledging congregation of Christians.It was not an easy step to make. Their Jewish friends accused them of treason against Moses. Their families urged them to come back to the synagogue. Their faith was on the firing line every day. Compromise was easy, convictions hard to hold.They were tempted to give up their open identification as Christians and lapse back into Judaism. Many of them had already done it. Many others were thinking about it. For these Jewish believers in Jesus, spiritual warfare was a daily reality. And many of them had become casualties. More:

Needed: A Few Good EncouragersI could summarize by saying that encouragement is fundamental to the Christian faith. It is one of the reasons we come together on Sunday morning. It is one of the most important spiritual gifts. And it is one of the sacred promises we have made to each other. These are the words of our church covenant: We do, therefore, in His strength promise … that we will be careful to encourage each other in the faith and service of our Lord Jesus Christ. And More:

This week I ran across these words: "If you treat a man as he is, he will stay as he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to become and could be, he will become that bigger and better man." That strikes me as an entirely true statement. People tend to become what we think them to be. They either live up to or down to our expectations. And Still More:

That's what encouragement is all about. That's the ministry God has called us to. That's something you can do this very week. The E.Q. TestBack at the beginning I promised that I would take your E.Q.—your Encouragement Quotient. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself:

1. Do my words of encouragement easily outweigh my words of criticism?

2. Am I generally uplifting to be around?

3. Do words of praise come easily to me?

4. Would those who know me best consider me an encouraging person?

5. Do I pass along only the good news and swallow the gossip?

6. Do I think more about opportunities to give praise or more about my need to receive praise?

7. Do I tend to focus on the positive qualities of other people?

8. Is it easy for me to be critical of those who frustrate me?

9. When I pray, do I pray for those who frustrate me?

10. Have I been diligent to encourage those closest to me—my children, my husband or wife, my students, my co-workers, my close friends?

Grade yourself this way. If you answered "yes" to eight or more, you are probably an encouraging person. If you answered "yes" to seven or less, you've been drinking too much vinegar and you need to switch over to Gatorade!

And if you go read it you find EVEN more!

Good stuff and stuff I'm not very good at. I need work and I need prayer - and I need to be encouraged to encourage!