Marsha's Musings: Quiet Time~Greetings & Compliments

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-4 ESV)

I am impressed with Paul's opening statements in this letter.  He is quick to encourage his  readers and point out what they are doing right.  We have much to learn from this.

In parenting, this is a good lesson for me as a parent.  Pointing out what my kids do right will accomplish much more than if I focus on what they do wrong and point out those areas all the time. My fault is that I so often focus on what they are doing wrong, or I am afraid they will do something wrong so I nag at them to remind them of things instead of giving them the chance to take responsibility.

In the church, there are those who always seem to notice what others are doing wrong and they set about to "fix it" in various ways.  Many of the ways they try to do this are counter- productive and destructive to the church and it's members.  Here are a few I have observed:

1.  Pointing out everything you think the pastor is doing wrong (I'm not talking about his doctrinal teaching here) and setting about to fix it by 

a. Complaining to him

b. Getting a following for your cause

c. Withholding tithe money

e. Skipping services if something isn't to your liking, but attending enough to be a thorn in the flesh

2. Pointing out everything you perceive other church members are doing wrong and telling them about it every chance you get.

Wouldn't it be more productive if we all focused on what everyone is doing right and made every effort to sincerely compliment and encourage them to continue what they are doing right?  

I believe when it came to handling people, Paul knew what he was doing and I bet he didn't have to take any special classes or read any books on the topic either.  He was just sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading.