 |
|
A Place Of Safety
Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Heb 10:22-25
I love the fresh clean feeling, after a shampoo. I've had people walk past me that had just washed their hair, and as the fragrance wafted past my nose I've found myself at times following them with my nose just to catch another whif. The smell alone makes me want to find out what kind of shampoo they used so that I can go and buy some for myself
When I know that my heart and mind has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus I have that same fresh feeling. And just like bathing, if not done on a daily basis, I will start to smell. And so with each cleansing I can face the world with confidence, also when I come into contact with others who have been cleansed it makes me want to catch that extra whif of their fragrance. When someone has the Spirit of God radiating from their countenance you cannot help but be attracted to them.
In Christ I have been given a hope that causes me to want to go on with my life. That same hope keeps the even the smallest embers burning when I'm faced with hardships and trials. Jesus has rescued me out of the deepest pits of sin and despair and has set me on my feet and put a testimony of the goodness and mercy of God in my mouth.
We need to have this same attitude when we are dealing with others. We don't pull them out of the fire to straighten them out. But we take them, show them or lead them to the one who can fix them. We want them to follow us willingly into that place of safety that the Lord has prepared for them.
Let us be encouraging as well as perceptive about others. Maybe they're going through something and they need a listening ear. That encouraging word that the Lord spoke to you, just might be the word that sets them back on the right track. This kind of encouragement uplifts instead of pushing them even lower by using words from our view that only helps cement the feelings of despair.
In the church, if we went around encouraging one another, complimenting one another, (not flattering them as some would do) but honestly looking for the good in one another, why, we just might have a bunch of people eager to do more for one another!
I know that when I do something for my husband and he compliments me (without me having to fish for it) it just tickles me pink. It makes me want to find something else to do that will please him.
I love to serve the Lord because He lets me know how pleased He is with what I do in obedience to His will. And when I've messed up He doesn't throw me out on the street, He just leads me back to right standing. Sometimes through speaking to me directly, but most of the time He has prompted someone to speak a word that brought me to my senses.
So as it says in the Message Bible, "Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out," not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
In His
Love,
Karen Trevino
