As I was getting ready to head over to the school to volunteer in my daughter’s classroom, I turned on Life Today with James & Betty Robison. It was Wednesdays with Beth – Beth Moore, that is. She has been teaching a wonderful series about not throwing away your confidence, based on Hebrews 10:35-36.
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36
I knew when she began this series by dragging a ratty old commercial size trashcan on to the stage that it was going to be good! If you get a chance to download the mp3 or watch it online, do it. It is a powerful message!
In today’s lesson, she taught for a few minutes on Hebrews 10:23-25.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25
This is a passage that I memorized a long time ago. It was the scripture that God gave me when He called me into Women’s Ministry for that particular season of my life.
I had very often thought of this passage and knew that in the coming years it was going to be vitally important for us to be encouragers to those around us. I also knew that if we prayed for God to give us opportunities to lift someone’s spirits by our words or deeds that He would do it! I often prayed that very thing in the morning and by afternoon God had brought to me someone very specific to minister to. I knew it from the moment that I said one word to them or they approached me. I could sense His Spirit say, “This person, Dori, is your assignment from Me for today. Be my hands and feet to this person right now. Don’t worry about what to say or do. I will guide you.” And He did every time.
But today Beth challenged us to look at this passage not from the point of view of the encourager, but she asked us to look at this as if we are the one receiving God-sent encouragement today.
She said that we are often very quick to discount the encouragement that comes our way through the words of another. How quickly we turn down a compliment! We do everything we can to talk them out of the encouragement they are bringing our way. Maybe it is humility. Maybe it is a form of false humility, which is really pride. Maybe it is insecurity. Maybe we are just once again believing the lies of the enemy. We are minimizing what God has sent out way to be received with thanksgiving.
But the encouragement that comes our way is God sent and we should receive it. Beth said that we need to remember two little words – “THANK YOU…I needed to hear that today!” In our heart, which we know can be deceptive, we might not really believe what is being said to us. But our Spirit knows that God is faithful and sends encouragers to us as a way to lift us and help us make it through another day.
We need to start listening for it! We need to be thankful for that kind of spurring on toward love and good deeds.
Beth reminded me today that when God sends encouragement, we must learn to receive it!
Let us consider:
- How we may encourage someone in any given day.
- How we may receive the encouragement coming our way in any given day.
I’ve tested this today and He has been faithful to show me the truth in this Word. I was able to encourage someone I really like a whole lot and I was able to receive the encouragement that God sent my way through a number of people. And I received their encouragement with a thankful heart for a God who loves me that much and knew I needed to hear what they had to say!
Let’s don’t trash our confidence by discounting how God is wanting to be the Lifter of our head throughout these days. And let’s look for anyone that God sends to us to encourage!
Blessings,
Dori
No comments:
Post a Comment