A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

An encouraging sentence, truth, or Scripture said at the right time in the right way serves others in ways that bring great glory to Christ. Yet, we often get discouraged in our lives thinking spiritual growth doesn’t happen as well or as fast as we would want.

Spiritual growth can seem as imperceptible as watching a tree grow from one day to the next. Patient plodding forward in our walk with Jesus is necessary for every one of us throughout life; through the difficult, dark and fearful valleys, and through those vicious fights against the flesh.

We can praise God with all of our hearts for He who saved us is the one who is faithful to sanctify us as well and will bring us to our eternal home with Him (Romans 8:28-30).

This is gloriously true: We need to remember that the Lord uses His means for this sanctification to occur and He uses His body to build one another up. We need each other to help fix our gaze upon Jesus and the work He is accomplishing!

We can encourage one another in the patient plodding through life by telling others how we have seen them grow recently.

I was in a conversation a few days ago after some prayer time with a brother and he said to me, “Dustin, you won’t believe how ‘so-and-so’ has grown over the past two years! It is absolutely miraculous to see the Spirit of God at work in his life.” This did my heart good to know how others are growing in the Lord and pursuit of Him.

There is likely someone in your life, in the body of ITC, you can - and need - to encourage by writing to them, calling them, texting them and clearly articulating how you have seen God at work in their life.

We build one another up as we walk by the Spirit and give encouragement by expressing how we have seen God at work in and through each other.

The Lord uses these fitly spoken words to accomplish His great and glorious purposes to build up His body and be a light to the world!