Scripture of the day
Hebrews 10:24 - Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Deep down inside I'm an introvert. Although not as extreme as I used to be, I now don't mind as much meeting new people and striking up a conversation. It took years of actively pushing myself to be more assertive to get to this level of comfort.
Overall though, I find much more energy being with one or two close family members or friends than I do in large crowds or parties. Better yet, I feel comfortable being completely alone with my thoughts hours on end. That's probably why I enjoy going out and taking photos so much.
But I have to make myself realize the importance of communion with others. Life isn't just about me. My actions, whether intentional or not, affect myself and others.
Because I was more higher up on the introvert scale when I was born again, I thought I could be a Christian by myself. I didn't need anyone else except Jesus. But that's simply not the case.
In the Christian life, we need others and others need us. It's a symbiotic relationship.
We need other Christians (the church), to keep us accountable for our actions, to pray together, to worship together, to partake in Holy Communion, to help them when they are down or struggling and, as Hebrews 10:24 states, to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
Other Christians need us for the same reasons. How selfish and unfruitful our lives would be if we just lived for ourselves. It would be the opposite of what Jesus is and therefore unchristian.
Sometimes I question, "How on earth can I motivate someone else when I can't even motivate myself?"
The answer is simply through encouragement guided by the Holy Spirit. We need to look for opportunities to encourage one another.
Encouragement brings about motivation.
Sometimes though, encouraging others can be difficult and the results are not what we expect. In fact, we may never see the results of our efforts.
It can be downright frustrating to put in effort to try to motivate another Christian to do acts of love and good works and then they turn around and be selfish. Arrrgh!
It is so easy to write someone off when they don't do or act like we want them. Our job is to love and encourage no matter how tough the situation is. The Holy Spirit will take over and work on their heart.
Sometimes we see the results of our efforts, sometimes not. We must perservere in living how Christ wants us to live. Can you imagine if Jesus wrote us off the first time we were disobedient?
Lord, thank you for not giving up on us when we fail. We need you and other Christians in our lives to help us love and do good works. Give us strength to help others, Lord, who are struggling like we have in the past.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
