There are tons of really cool and sentimental things that I hope I never forget about my mother. She is perhaps the most loving person I’ve ever known. She is always ready to throw together a meal as soon as company walks in the door. And she is always ready to let people know how special they are – always. For as long as I can remember, she’s had this little framed, artistic quote hanging on the wall in our office. The quote reads, “People need love the most when they deserve it the least.” 

 

Boom. This little saying, which in my opinion is the very pulse of the Gospel, has the power to quite literally change every single interaction we have with people. Think about it: If we fully adopt this mantra and tattoo it into the fiber of our being, every person we look at, speak to, and otherwise interact with will be refreshed. What better way can you think of to reflect holiness? There aren’t many, that’s for sure.

 

The apostle Paul says it this way, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Eph 4:29).” Do people benefit from being around you? Do people benefit from what you say? Are you purposely looking for opportunities to lift others up and positively impact them for the sake of the Gospel? Well, we all should be doing this very thing.

 

The essence of the Gospel is that although no person ever deserves God’s grace it has been extended to us. Jesus Christ made this happen! The encouragement that stems from the Bible is that we have hope in spite of our filthy, dirty, sinful hearts! So someone who constantly falls victim to lusts like porn, masturbation, & sex (or any other sinful behavior for that matter) should take heart in knowing that what Christ has finished on the cross gives us hope that our futures are indeed bright. He is our hope.

 

Christ defeated sin entirely and eternally when He embraced death and now His Spirit works in our lives to constantly remind us of this truth: Our past is not our identity! That’s right, we are not to be known by our sins. Instead, our great encouragement is that we are now known and identified by what Jesus did for us when He satisfied God’s demand atCalvary. What a Savior, what a King, what a Hope!  

 

Here’s the bottom line: If your faith is in Christ and what He did then you should be encouraged about your hope AND you should be encouraging others! He is our hope and we can point others to Him. This hope is not deserved, but it is extended by grace. Now we can find grace in our lives to go and be encouragement for others. Who needs a little encouragement? Go find them and point them to true hope.