Waist Deep 2018 - November 24


I Thessalonians 5: 11, 13, 15 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. . . . Live in peace with each other . . . always try to be kind to each other. (NIV)


We should seize every opportunity to give encouragement. It is oxygen to the soul.*


Movies are often advertised as being based on actual events. Once that disclaimer is delivered, the movie-makers are free to take liberties with history. So picture with me a scenario between Paul and the Thessalonian Christians – based very loosely on actual events – in which Paul informs them that Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. And they reply, “Really? How do we do that?” And Paul says, “Well, you could start by encouraging one another . . .”

Do you suppose Paul ever got frustrated with having to squander so much of his papyrus on telling Christians what loving each other looks like? Someone has said that the church is more than just a group of people who agree in their beliefs.* That’s for sure. We don’t always even agree on what we believe!

You can’t escape your biological family - your weird cousin is still your cousin even if you manage to avoid him. Our church family is not always made up of the easy-to-love, either. But if we follow Paul’s instructions to encourage, build up, live in peace and be kind, we might find that the family of God is a more inviting place for the lost.


Misfits have always been included in God’s family tree, and we are no exceptions.*


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Waist Deep 2018 - August 27

Image
Matthew 28: 19, 20 “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (NIV)    Never allow the thought – “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not.* In an offering meditation during Missions Emphasis month I began by asking everyone in the audience to stand. I told everyone who had been born right there in our county to sit down. More than 90% remained standing. Then, everyone who was born elsewhere in our state was told to take their seat. A few more sat. Next, if they were born in any other state in the US they could sit. In our multi-cultural community, that left a lot of people still on their feet. My point? We don’t have to go far to reach the world because the world has come to us.  It seems that we may have been slightly off the mark in how we have been interpreting Jesu...
Read more

Waist Deep 2018 - November 25

Image
I Thessalonians 5: 25 Brothers, pray for us. (NIV) We can do a great deal for people after we pray for them but little of lasting value until we pray for them.* I am guilty of thinking – and even saying – that prayer is the least I can do. Really? Is there something else I can do that is more powerful than praying? Paul doesn’t seem to think so – he ends his letter to the Thessalonians with this request for prayer and nothing more. There are reasons why we get a little judgmental when someone says, “I’ll pray for you.” One reason is we don’t believe he will actually do it. Sometimes it’s just something to say because we are socially awkward and don’t know what else to say. Often, offering to pray for someone is a way to avoid offering to do something for him. When my dad was dying, I had many friends who were praying for me. There was nothing that they could do . I don’t know what their exact requests were. Perhaps some prayed for my dad to get well (he w...
Read more

Waist Deep 2018 - January 25

Image
Exodus 34: 6, 7 “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” (NIV) Numbers 14: 18 The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished. (NIV) Psalm 86: 15 But you, O lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (NIV) Psalm 103: 8, 10 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. . . . [H]e does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. (NIV) God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is.* Interviewing for a job challenges our ability to balance just the right amount of modesty with a healthy dose of self-confidence. We can be proud of our accomplishments but we don’t want t...
Read more