Between devotional reading and my own private meditations, I've been pursuing a deeper understanding of the love of God for my life personally and in the body of Christ. All the chaos and division going on in the world seems to be affecting the church as well.
I am attending a women's conference this weekend and the theme scripture is Galatians 6:9,10 which says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (NKJ)
Before I jump in to discussing the parts of the scripture that I highlighted let me just say this. This will be part one of this blog and after the conference when I review everything from each speaker, then I will pull together Part two. You might be thinking, why is there a need for it to be two parts?
I have two thoughts on that. First, it will be intriguing to see the confirmations that are shared. Then, not only the confirmations but the different perspectives that they will share from. I have a suspicion of what their emphasis will be. I am sure we will all be encouraged!
When I first read this verse, something began to stir in me. I decided to read it in the Amplified Version. (AMPC) Wow! Talk some extra stirring taking place! Here is how it reads:
9And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
10 So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [morally] to all people [not only being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God’s family with you, the believers]. (Emphasis mine)
If I had the space here, I would break down both verses phrase by phrase. For now, let’s take a few minutes to look at the highlighted words
Weary - Many today are growing weary of pursuing their personal vision or the ways of the godly living in general. There’s no need to belabor this word because I think we all understand the idea of being weary. Here the apostle Paul is encouraging us to simply to not give up but to keep pressing on. We all need to be reminded occasionally.
Nobly - In the Merriam-Webster dictionary – “Characterized by, or arising from superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals: lofty – Synonyms: Magnanimously, uprightly.
· Let's capsulize that definition by simply saying “superior character” - toward others. Hmmm, is my character superior, ideal, upright?
Courage - The definition here is - Fearlessness when facing change or a difficult situation, following difficult instructions.
· Obeying God's Word is not always easy, Necessary if we are going to endure to the end.
· How quickly do we respond when God leads us when to encourage another person with their gift or calling? Especially when that doesn't make sense remember obedience doesn't require understanding. Simply obey.
To All People - We don't need a dictionary definition for this phrase. I believe the challenge here is will we encourage anyone with their gift or calling? Not just family or somebody we especially like. It might be somebody in our church family we don't know that well or that we don't particularly like. Are you ready to encourage anyone?
· That sentence goes on to say to do what is “good and profitable” for them. That might mean taking him to lunch, helping them do some sort of task, helping meet a financial need, etc. But the next phrase I highlighted takes us a bit deeper.
Spiritual Good and Advantage – Hmmm, so we're also to encourage people for their spiritual good. What does that mean? How can we do that?
· For those are not believers yet, we should do all that we can to be a witness, ready to share the Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.
· But notice it says, “especially for those in the household of faith.” When you see someone in your church family or even in another church attempting to reach out to the community, to the lost, nursing home ministry, ministries within the church… We are to encourage and support them in every way that we can. Our pastors also need our encouragement. Being a pastor is not easy. It’s not a job, it’s a calling.
· There is no room for jealousy and competition in the body of Christ. We must have a mindset that we're all in this thing together. It's not about a church or denomination. It's about the Kingdom of God.
· It's not even about us in our little four walls of our church. It's reaching the broken, hurting, and lost that surround us to facilitate revival on the land.
I'm going to attempt to wrap this up right now because it's already too long. Let me just share that on a personal note I have recently been challenged as I have watched brothers and sisters in Christ in other cities come together with believers from various backgrounds to reach their community for the glory of God. They have seen numerous souls be saved, healed delivered, restored, and rededicate their lives to Jesus.
One of my prayers for my local community and the surrounding area is that denominational and racial barriers would be broken down so that the world can truly see the fruit of the scripture that says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NKJ)
Before ending with the partial lyrics from a famous song I'm going to ask the question that I asked in the beginning… Are you a Godly encourager?
“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord /We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord/ And we pray that our unity may one day be restored /And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love/Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.” **
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© 1966, F.E.L. Publications, assigned to The Lorenz Corp, 1991 |
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