Jesus Challenged People

“We should consider the good of our neighbor and build up his character”

(Romans 15:2).

You can be a homebuilder, bodybuilder, reputation-builder, or a retirement-nest-egg-builder, but none of those things will last. There is something, though, you can put your efforts into now that will last forever. You can be a people-builder.

The Bible encourages us to do just that in Romans 15:2, where it says, "We should consider the good of our neighbor and build up his character."

How do you build your people? The key is kindness—giving people what they need, not what they deserve. When you consider the way Jesus built people up, he did three things—challenged, encouraged, and spoke honestly.

Rick Warren


Today, we’ll look at how Jesus challenged people to be all God made them to be. The Apostle Paul echoes this teaching, in Ephesians 4:1, when he says, "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

His point is, “Don’t waste your life!”

Challenge your family and friends to live beyond themselves and to discover their strengths and abilities. God has given each of us some special abilities, and he wants us to use them to help each other. We’re to pass on to others God's many kinds of blessings.

We all need somebody who will help us discover our gifts and who will challenge us to develop, strengthen, and use them. You can play a critical role in this way by helping the ones you love to discover their strengths and abilities, and then challenging them to use them.

And, help them understand how special their gifts are—that we will all miss out on a blessing if they don’t use the gifts God has given them. It’s like a singer who never sings; we miss out on the blessing that would come from hearing the voice. We are meant to be a blessing to others.