Lean On One Another

 

Take care brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:12-13

We are surrounded by sin. It tries to invade our lives with all manner of evil. We see wars and crime and hate and discouragement. Sometimes Christians are beaten up by the onslaught of evil and give up.

Paul tells us to stick together and encourage one another in the faith. When we speak words of kindness and encouragement to one another it is a two way street, as we give encouragement we are encouraged.

We are called to care for each other, let us do so without reserve. Lean on one another, encourage one another, believe the living God.

Delight Yourself In Abundance

 

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And You who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come buy wine and milk

Without money without cost.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.

Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you….

Isaiah 55:1-3

All we accumulate on earth is temporary.  The new car we love will rust and fall apart.  The fancy restaurant dinner we enjoy, will be gone in an hour.  Our designer clothes will go out of style. We buy more and more and still are we are not satisfied because none of it lasts. 

So, what else is there?   There is the God's everlasting covenant with us - the promise of salvation through Jesus.  

Even if you feel far from God, He loves you and He has a plan for you.  God sent His Son, Jesus to give His life as a sacrifice once and for all for our salvation.  It is the free gift of God and it is yours for the asking.  All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to be your Lord, Master and Savior.  That's it. 

Get to know God and delight in yourself in abundance. 

 

  

Get Moving

 

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go, behold I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes, and greet no one on the way.”

Luke 10:2-3

When Jesus appointed the seventy, He chose ordinary people.

It was not about their education or the clothes they wore or the money they had, it was about the people believing He was the Son of God and the Savior of the World.  He even warned them they might encounter trouble, and still they went out from city to city, preparing the way for Jesus.  

The message for us today is that we may not be the best educated or wealthy or clever, but we too have a mission and that is the carry the message to people that God loves them and sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem them and forgive their sins, and that, with God's help, they can turn their lives around. 

The harvest is plentiful, get moving.  

Break Those Sterotypes

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Let your speech always be with grace, and as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Colossians 4:5-6

First impressions are lasting.  The Apostle Paul knew this that is why he advises us to think about how we treat those who we meet. 

We do not have to fake being kind because we are kind or at least we should be kind to everyone.  We do not have to agree with their life style or their behavior.  But we are acting as Christ’s ambassadors and therefore, if we practice engaging our brains before our mouths, we will do much to further the Gospel.

The next thing we know we will be hearing things like, “Wow, I thought Christians were kind of stuck on themselves and their little groups, but you, you are different.” 

It is your job to break those stereotypes.  Do it well and do it with kindness.

 

Slow Down

 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James 1:19-20

For some of us, like me, we are quick to fire off our mouth when we hear something or see something we think is not right.  We get angry quickly and, sometimes this gets us in trouble.    

Knowing we are inclined to do this requires some extra effort on our part to remain silent and think before we speak. Mom's advice to count to ten before we speak is good advice.  For me, I count to 100, just to be safe.  This not to say we should not correct a wrong, but that we should choose our words wisely and stay on point.  

It is about recognizing that the righteous indignation of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  

When Christ Rules Our Hearts

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond in unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Colossians 3:12-15

 

Wow!  We can chose to abandoned our grouchy nature and put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  

When we let Christ rule in our hearts, things happen that turn us around and reshape our attitudes and make us nicer people.    

Doubting? Doubt No More

 

But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.   So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be to you.”  Then He said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.”

Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

John 20:24-29

We can understanding why some people have a difficult time believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world when we consider that Thomas, who was one of His disciples did not believe that the other Disciples had seen the resurrected Jesus.  

Thomas' doubts mirror what many people feel when the truth of the Gospel is presented.  They cannot see a purpose to it or a reason that they would want to ask Jesus to be their Lord, Master and Savior.  Their doubt is real. 

When I was a young adult, I had a friend who thought because I was "religious" I should become a nun.  I had shared the Gospel with her, but she did not get it and thought I was religious nut.  We lost contact and then years later, she called me and said that she had became a Christian and she knew what I meant about love of God.  

That being said, we should not put too much stock in those who reject our message because others will come along with the Gospel message and they may be receptive to it because those words we spoke to them have settled in their hearts.