First Christian Church - Elizabethtown, Ky

Bonuses, rewards, and promotions… those are sometimes the carrots at the end of the stick. Work hard and get something extra, or so seems how we handle many situations in our work life. And often an expectation is created – do more, get more. Let’s be honest, how good does that make a person feel? How much motivation comes from a physical reward? It’s not just at work where this comes into play; it can happen at home with children. “If you do (fill in the blank for the behavior that is desired), you will get (fill in this blank with a thing the child wants). But the toy gets broken, or the game is completed and grows out of favor, and the token of encouragement is gone with little or nothing of it left behind. Paul did not send monetary rewards or prizes to those he recognized in his letters. To those in Colossi, as with those in other cities he wrote to, he sent encouragement. And he challenged them to encourage each other with the power of “thank you” or “keep up the good work”. Paul knew the power of greet