Hearing God: Part 3 Through Letters of Encouragement

¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1Thess. 5:11, NIV)

In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he encourages the new believers to endeavor to promote the good of the whole church by promoting the work of grace in one another. This is done by sharing our knowledge of the Word and our testimonies with each other. We pray and sing praises with one another. We set a good example in our daily lives by comforting and meeting the needs of those who suffer. Even though Paul knew the Thessalonians were already doing these things, he exhorted them to continue and increase their efforts.

Paul led by example.  If you read his letters, you will notice that after he greets his brothers and sisters in Christ, Paul often shares his prayers of encouragement. Here is one example in Colossians 1:9-14.

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14, NIV)

What effect do you think these words from Paul had on the Thessalonians?

How do words of encouragement affect areas of the human brain associated with pleasure, motivation, and learning?

When a person hears or reads encouraging words, nerve cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area of the brain release the neurotransmitter dopamine, which then travels to different areas of the brain.

Dopamine travels to the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls higher functions such as paying attention, staying motivated, and making decisions.

Dopamine is the major neurotransmitter in the nucleus accumbens, where it plays an important role in the experience of reward and pleasure. The nucleus accumbens is the neural interface between motivation and action.

Dopamine plays a critical role in the striatum, a deep-brain nucleus that links motivation to the activation of two types of behavior. One links motivation to motor movements used to perform simple motor tasks. A second links motivation to more complex cognitive tasks, such as reward processing, decision-making, and social interactions.

Now that you have read the biological explanations of how encouragement plays a positive role in peoples’ minds, emotions, and actions, let’s revisit my previous question. What effect do you think encouraging words from Paul had on the Thessalonians? Can you think of specific emotions or actions? Pause, and think about this for a few moments.

 Here is an example of how an encouraging note from me blessed my friend.

Last month, I received a note from my friend that read,

“How I have been blessed when I opened the envelope and saw your name and knew that a dear friend who is such a witness to God’s provision and love had divinely remembered me.  What a gift!! Thank you…

…Because of notes that represent prayers, we face each day expecting God to speak peace in ways I can’t even imagine.  Thank you for being a part of my blessed life.”

Has the Holy Spirit brought someone to your mind to whom you could send a note of encouragement? Here are three examples of encouragement through writing.

1. Tell them that you thank God for them and their fellowship in the gospel.
2. Identify one or two traits that give evidence of God’s grace in their lives.
3. Share a biblical truth or promise that speaks to their present situation.

Reach out and bless that person today with words of encouragement!