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Written by Keith Hester
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Isn't it good to be around people who are not easily offended? In the love chapter in First Corinthians thirteen, one of the descriptions of someone who is under the influence of love is not being easily provoked or stirred up. We often think of a loving person as someone who is always acting toward others by giving or instructing or guiding or helping in some way. We see loving people as very active in deeds of love like visiting sick people or feeding the homeless and certainly these can be loving acts. But one of the most important aspects of love is not the direction out but the direction in. |
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Written by Keith Hester
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Jesus once entered a small village and ten people with leprosy called out to Him, asking that He show them mercy. Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests and in the course of their travel they realized they had all been healed. One of the men then turned back and sought out Jesus and began praising God and offering thanks. Jesus then inquired if there were not ten who had been healed and if so where were the other nine? |
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Written by Keith Hester
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One principle that was very much a part of the regular teachings of Jesus was the admonition not to worry about tomorrow. I don't think most people would argue that we struggle mightily with worry. We call it different names to make it more acceptable but it is still exactly what Jesus was referring to. We call it being responsible, being a parent, being human, or just having a lot on our minds. And sure some of this is legitimate, but it is often just a cover up for our efforts to do something that Jesus warned against. He said do not be anxious about tomorrow. |
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Written by Keith Hester
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Encouragement is a very Biblical idea. In our thoughts about building our lives on a solid enduring foundation we must consider the sources from which we gain the strength and fortitude to press on as builders. We need to be diligent in the process of solidifying our foundation and we need to give our foundation a chance to support us by not leaving it at the first sign of a flood. We need to have the teachings of Christ flowing as the actual content of our mental processing. We need to be working from a core of faith in God, trust in his teachings and love for God and others. But to succeed in the engagement of life we need to have a consistent flow of encouragement. The danger of giving up or giving in remains until we leave our earthly dwelling. We need not only the right understandings but we need to draw upon the genuine sources of encouragement in those understandings. |
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