Spurring One Another

Hebrews 10:24 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

The author of Hebrews is exhorting Christians to use our minds and imaginations to consider a variety of ways to encourage one another to love and good works. Besides vocally encouraging someone toward love and good works, are there more creative (and possibly more effective) forms of exhortation?

I would suggest that allowing someone to see your good works is one form of godly exhortation. Although we should be wary of the dangers of man-pleasing driven obedience, we should also recognize that there is a place for allowing others to see our good deeds. My own experience is that seeing the faithfulness of fellow believers is one of the strongest motivations for my own obedience. When I see the connection between their heart-orientation toward God and the spiritual blessings that they experience, there's nothing that I want more than to be like them. I think that's one of the reasons why we have the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. We're supposed to witness inspiring stories of Christian faithfulness in order to be . . . well . . . inspired. For this reason, I think it's appropriate at times to allow others to witness your own faithfulness, given the right heart attitude. Didn't Paul himself boldly declare how much he labored and prayed for other people? Whenever someone tells me they've been praying for me, not only am I encouraged but I'm also exhorted to imitate them in a more prayerful lifestyle.

So this is my suggestion. Rather than going around telling other Christians to live a more holy life in order to fulfill Hebrews 10:24, perhaps you should simply seek to be a godly witness. As others see your faithfulness and the blessings you receive, they will undoubtedly be encouraged to follow in your footsteps. This concept has implications for how we worship on Sunday morning, but I'll save that for another blog. ;)

Element of Trust

In my mind, trust may very well be the most important characteristic of a healthy, loving relationship. Trust has many elements, and I'd like to bring up a couple.

First of all, trust is grounded in the past. It's not that you can't choose to trust someone you just met, or recently met, but the more someone proves themselves to be the kind of man or woman who remains true to their word, the more you can trust them. Even when someone abuses your trust, this can be quickly mended if they have a strong track record.

It's interesting that we often seem to trust people for the big things more than the little things. For example, you may trust my word more if I promise to bring your seizure medications than if I promise to bring your mittens. I think the reason is simply because one promise is more important than the other promise. Which is a bigger issue, your life being at stake or your hands being warm?

The irony is that it seems like the little promises (like remembering to teach someone a Spanish song) should be easier to keep than the big promises (like a marriage vow). The truth of the matter is that little promises are easier to fudge on. The first goal is to find a person who cares so much about the reliability of their word that you can trust them to keep even the smallest of promises. The second goal is to be that person for everyone else.

Hard Words Shouldn't Come Easy

There seems to be a tension when it comes to 'saying hard things' in the Christian life. We all know that there are times where our friends need to hear the difficult words, but I think we often misinterpret what verses like this actually mean. 

Like many other issues, there seems to be two extremes one can take hard words. The first is the person who won't say anything that might be difficult for the person to hear. A lot of the time we are tempted to soften the blow of reality for someone. However, telling someone it's not too bad or that it won't get worse is not going to soften the blow. If anything, it's going to keep them from preparing for the realities of life, making things more difficult. This is why the Bible tells us we need to carry a cross, or that we'll be persecuted for our faith. No one wants to hear that, but everyone needs to.

The other extreme is the person who joyfully and all too willingly takes up their task of saying hard things. I've found myself in this camp all too often. The fundamental problem with this approach is that saying difficult things to someone we love should be difficult. Even the attitude that it's easy to do communicates that we don't truly care for their well-being. The way in which we speak difficult truths really matters. It's the difference between speaking hard words and harsh words; the difference between love and carelessness. 

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; 

Profuse are the kisses of an enemy" --Proverbs 27:6

Highlights of My Life: 2012

Looking back, I'm pretty sure 2012 has been the biggest year for me. As I look back, here are some highlights:

• Left my teenage years behind (Jan 9)
• Started my job at ACR (Jan 10)
• Completed my associates in Christian Worlview at BCS (May 18)
• Took my first mission trip (July 7-Aug 6) 
• Preached my second sermon (July 29)
• Started learning biblical Hebrew (Aug 27)
• Started dating Emily (Oct 24)
• Got a new car (Oct 31)
• Spent my first Christmas away from home (Dec 25)

Of course there are many other things God has blessed me with, but these are some of the big one's. I would say that this past year has been the most pivotal for my personal growth. I thank God for His grace. Potentially the biggest accomplishment was spending $10 on shoes in 2012. :) I can't wait to see what He has in store for 2013! 

Shame and Suffering: Our Daily Cross

Jesus not only came to the world to die on the cross, but to suffer many things and then be killed on the cross. He didn't only choose a brutal death, but he chose a brutal life. He could've lived it up like a king, but he chose the road of suffering. 

By seeing Christ's sacrifice as more than just a moment on the cross, we can get a fuller picture of what it means to follow in his footsteps. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Lk 9:23). 

The way that I see it, there are two options. You can either pick up a cross and follow Jesus on the road of suffering and ultimately death, or you can remain in the city, holding on to whatever life you have. Every day we are called to surrender the things of this world to God and choose the life of persecution, rejection, and suffering. Every day we are called to lose our lives for the hope that God will save them in the end. 

May we accept the shame of living lives that look foolish and ignorant. May we be willing to carry a cross out of the city of pleasure, lest the God we follow be ashamed of us. 

Not My Will

Jesus' prayer in the garden is incredibly significant for how we ourselves think about prayer. "And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will'" (Mk 14:35-36). 

Although Jesus didn't know all things during his time on earth, there was one thing he did know. He knew that it was his task to die. He knew that his hour would come, and that he would be lifted up on the cross. When he asked for the Father to remove the cup from his hands, he knew that it was the cup of God's wrath that he was preparing to drink in his death. 

The incredible thing is that Jesus wasn't afraid to ask God to spare him. Jesus was willing to ask for temporary blessing because he knew that God could do anything. 

God can do anything. I repeat, God can do anything. Jesus didn't tell himself, well since God can only do what his sovereign will intends, I'm not going to pray for this to be lifted. Either Jesus knew that it was God's sovereign will for him to drink the cup of wrath, and he still miraculously prayed the contrary. Or Jesus in his finiteness didn't know whether or not it was God's sovereign will. 

Whatever the case may be, this grants us complete freedom to pray for anything. We never know what God's ultimate will is in a situation, but we do know that he can do anything. As long as we end our prayers with "Thy will be done," we can feel free to ask for anything.

A few verses later he admits that the hour has come (mk 14:41). Significantly though, this happens after his prayer for release...a release he may have known would never come.

A Christian's Hope

Someone asked me a few days ago what passage I would use to encourage someone who is facing 3 or 4 different cancers. Several passages came to mind, but then I discovered that the sick person may not be a Christian. I began to wonder. Is there any encouragement for someone who isn't a believer? Is there any hope for the one who doesn't follow God? 

Christians often forget the big picture. But when you're facing someone on the death bed, or when you've lost all that you have in a hurricane, we quickly turn our hearts, minds, and hope to eternal things. Deep down inside, we know that this world is not all we have. There is a better place, a lasting place. 

Perhaps a healthy practice would be to continuously ponder the eternal things. Perhaps we'd be far more content in light of the eternal promises, more secure in light of the eternal inheritance, more eager to witness in light of the eternal hell, more thankful in light of God's eternal grace. Perhaps the deathbed isn't the only place to see suffering working out for our good. Perhaps it isn't even the first place. 

I'm thankful that even though I missed two classes today because my car bumper was bashed in, I was reminded that God always has a plan. He really keeps things exciting and always reminds me that I don't know what's going to happen next. I'm just glad that I know He still loves me. Because of God, every day is a pretty good day.