WE REALLY DO NEED EACH OTHER

 

September 5, 2024

 

Oh Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; … lead me, in your righteousness … let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy … for you bless the righteous, oh Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield. Amen.

Hebrews 10:24 (New Living Translation)

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works”

Hebrews 10:24 (New International Version)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24 (The Voice)

Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds

Hebrews 10:24 (HCSB)

Let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works.

 

You have perhaps noticed so far this week that motivating one another involves action. Hebrews 10:24 calls to us with this encouragement to action, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (NLT). This verse motivates us, I believe, with two actions in mind.

One, we are motivating one another toward acts of love. This type of love (agape) is the unrestricted, unrestrained, and unconditional love that can only come from God working through us. 

Showing “acts of love” is not always easy and that’s why we are encouraged to motivate one another to acts of love. There will be those times when we need to show an act of love toward someone we don’t like and it will be difficult to sacrifice for them. To say that kind word, to help them, to bless them, and to not say what we know will hurt them. We will need to be motivated to do the right thing and sometimes we will need to do the motivating for someone else.

Loving your enemy, your neighbor, or others in general can be challenging, which is why we require mutual encouragement.

Two, we are motivating one another toward good works. Acts of love and good works overlap. Your good works, like helping someone move, leading a Group, buying groceries for the single mom, serving at the Community Dinner, helping your neighbor with his car, providing a meal for a family during a time of loss, etc. These good works not only bless others, but they say a lot about you and the life of Jesus in you. Both love and good deeds are a witness to God's love for all.

Look at 1 Peter 2:12 says, “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation” (HCSB). Even when people speak badly of you, your good works will defend your character and bring glory to God.

We live in a world of the instant, of the minute, of action with a quick payoff, but this Bible verse is calling us to love and good deeds and then to wait to realize the outcome of a character that shows God’s glory, even to our worst critiques. That’s a hard ask, isn’t it? We do not do this waiting thing very well and that is why we need the context of a community of people just like us, who know it is hard to love, and to wait for results, to journey with us and to encourage us, to spur us on, to inspire us toward our calling in Jesus as a faith community to show love through righteous acts and leave the impact to God.

So, together “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Amen.

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; said all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed … as he who called you is holy, be yourselves holy in all your conduct.  I Peter 1:13, 15

 LET US PRAY

Jesus, my savior, let your love rule my heart without a rival, for only then can I fulfill my duty and your command of loving you with all my heart, and mind, and soul, and strength and my neighbor as myself. Amen.