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'ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER AND BUILD EACH OTHER UP...' 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11

After 30 years of marriage his wife was ready to throw in the towel. 'I
have had it, living with you. You never tell me you love me anymore.'
The husband replied, 'I told you I loved you when we got married; if I
change my mind I'll let you know.' Too many leaders expect their
followers to run on autopilot, like the hard-hearted husband. They don't
understand that people thrive on appreciation. They need it. Sometimes
Christian organisations are the worst: 'You're working for the Lord and
He'll reward you.' Yes, we're all working for that final pat on the back
in the sky, but God expects us to pat others on the back along the way.
Paul writes: 'Encourage one another and build each other up...' Some
people don't need encouragement. They're so strong and so busy that
attempts at praising them would be nothing more to them than a pesky
gnat flying around their face. They'd brush it off with a look of
confusion. There are also people who view praise with suspicion because
others have taken advantage of them. With them, all you need to do is
cultivate kindness. But most of us need encouragement - and lots of it.
Phillis Theroux writes, 'One of the commodities in life that most people
can't get enough of is compliments. The ego is never so intact that one
can't find a hole in which to plug a little praise. Compliments by their
very nature are highly bio-degradable and tend to dissolve hours or days
after we receive them; which is why we can always use another.'