Encouragement: Safeguarding Our Hearts

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
-Hebrews 3:12-15, ESV

The heart is the center of our being. We ought to watch over it with great care. The scripture passage from Hebrews reminds us that our heart can be tainted with evil. It can be filled with unbelief. It can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We can even choose to harden our own hearts. These all have the same outcome; they lead us away from the living God and our salvation in Christ Jesus. It is the constant work of the devil to lead us away from God, to turn us back to old ways and attitudes. Our hearts are under attack from many angles.

What do we do in response to this? How do we safeguard our hearts so that we continue in this new life we have found? One of the simplest and most direct solutions is encouragement. We speak strength, truth, and love into one another’s lives. We help each other up when we fall. We check up on one another. We love through adversity. We tell of God’s faithfulness. We stick together and hang onto the cross of Christ. And we make sure to do this every day.

How has your heart been lately? Keep taking time to listen to God and be receptive to what He is saying. When He speaks don’t harden your heart. How are the hearts of your brothers and sisters in Christ? If any need encouragement, step out and make a difference. God may very well use your words or actions to help another keep the faith.

Enjoying Everyday Life

Jesus said He came that we might have life and enjoy our lives.  Satan has one goal and that is to kill, steal, and destroy every good thing that God has in mind for us.

Are you enjoying life? Are you enjoying every facet of life or just the "fun" parts? I truly believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can enjoy everything.  We can enjoy our work and our times of waiting. We can enjoy the journey and not just the destination. We spend more time in life waiting than we do arriving at a destination.  We need to learn to enjoy where we are on the way to where we are going. 

One way Satan steals from us is by making us think we can only enjoy certain things and not others.  But the truth is, we can change our way of thinking and enjoy all things in our life.  If we change our way of thinking and focus on God, then when circumstances change, we do not have to change with them.  We can refuse to let Satan to get us flustered.  We can refuse to let him steal our joy.

Life is wasted if we allow ourselves to be miserable all the time.  Jesus said in John 14:27 that He left us His peace and we are to stop allowing ourselves to become upset.  He has given us gifts and responsibilities.  We are partners in this life.  God gives us peace and joy, and we are not to allow the devil to steal it.  Let's all try to enjoy life the way Jesus told us to by staying focused on Him, by not worrying when things get rough, by having unmovable faith in God's love for us, and by remembering God's word in Romans 8:28,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Life is a gift, and let's enjoy that gift to the fullest!

How We Mourn

Everyone deals with death in different ways. We may cry. We may get angry. We may completely withdraw and live in denial. The Bible reminds us…

Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. -Matthew 5:4

We find times to gather together to share our pain and to honor the life that was lost. There is comfort in knowing that others feel the loss of our loved one too. It is important to share memories and laughter so that we may heal. The Psalmist writes…

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. -Psalm 34:18

Richard Adams was a man who lived his faith. He didn’t fill a spot in the pew, he filled a life with love and service! We can all learn from Richard’s example. He took the time to talk to people. He asked questions and showed concern. He prayed and then put legs on his prayers by taking action. A life on earth has ended but eternal life has just begun.

We all deal with loss in different ways. Going forward I want to be more intentional about showing love and concern to those around me! It’s W.W.R.D. (What Would Richard Do?)

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. -1 John 3:18, NIV

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -James 2:14-17, NIV

Actions speak louder than words. Words are important. Our words are to be full of grace and mercy. We build each other up and strengthen our relationships by speaking words of love. But if our words aren’t backed up with actions, they can ring hollow or sound fake.

True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts. If our lives remained unchanged, we don’t truly believe the truths we claim to believe. We cannot earn our salvation by serving and obeying God, but such actions show that our commitment to God is real. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, but rather a verification of our faith in Christ.

People can doubt our words, but it is tough to argue with an act of kindness. Sometimes our words get tangled up, but our actions speak loud and clear. Sometimes we say things just because we think we are supposed to. However, when we get involved and take action, we participate in God’s love for another person, and we become more like Jesus in the process.

Does someone need an act of kindness today? What does loving someone in the truth mean to you. Heavenly, Father open my eyes today to opportunities to love people with my actions. Amen.