[Jesus told His disciples,] "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

Do you think we should argue who goes last and not first? Should we strive not to be in the lime light, but to place others in the lime light? What would the world be like if we did not continually toot our own horn, but allowed another’s to be heard?

Paul writes to the Thessalonians

...warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
(I Thess. 5:14-18)

Why is it that we try so hard to follow God’s will for our lives, we work to spread His word to those who have not heard it and yet we struggle when it comes to encouraging the timid? When they do speak up, we are so busy blowing our own horn that we forget God’s command and we do not listen. We forget He has told us that to be first, we must be last. In telling us this, He is explaining how we can help others find their role in God’s service. God wants us to help others gain confidence. He is asking us to encourage the timid.

Do you encourage the timid?

Paul tells us to encourage others and then he tells us to pray and not only pray, but to do it continually. He does not only ask us to pray continually, but to be joyful always and to be thankful in our giving. Could it be that he is telling us to be joyful as we give others the opportunity to lead, to make choices, to speak out as we decide to be last, as we choose to serve?