Before you begin reading this I ask that you examine your heart first. Why do I ask you to examine your heart you might ask? Because I want you to be able to know what your heart truly looks like and how you are truly living while reading this post. I try not to write anything that will not first convict myself every time I read it., but to also convict those who take the time to read it. It is the reason I pray that God is my hands as they type and that God is the words that pour out onto paper. We all know that God is speaking it is just up to us whether or not to listen and I pray that God speaks through what I write here tonight. So please examine your heart before continuing on. Seek Christ and ask him what he truly wants to teach you and what he may be able to teach you through these words.
For the last couple weeks I have been in the intense searching and seeking period in my life. Now this is something we all go through from time to time and I truly think we should continue to seek Christ. In the midst of my seeking and searching I learned a few things that I feel helped change my mindset and I think will also change yours.
When I was done seeking I found out the one thing I was truly missing in my life and the one thing most Christians are missing in life is the brotherly and sisterly encouragement from the body of believers. I read Ephesians 4 and 5 and noticed that my life does not match up with those standards of how to love people and then I realized I have only met a few people who truly live that out. I began to think what if when we fall there was truly a body of believers that dropped everything they have to come help you up? They truly came out of know where to help you up and dust you off when you fail.
So many times today people fall into deep sin and instead of people trying to encourage them and help them we are quick to write them off and just constantly rebuke them for what they are becoming. Now do not get me wrong there is a right and wrong time to rebuke someone but sometimes all they need is a helping hand saying “Hey I am here grab my hand I am going to be with you through this trial”
I can think of a few friends of mine that I know that if I or some of my friends just stretched out a hand to help then they may not have fallen so deeply into the endless pit of sin that they did. I can think of a dear friend of mine who at one time was serving as a Youth Pastor and then the church this person was working out asked him to step down due to some dumb parents complaining about things. This was a very tough time on him and he fail into a pit and tried to cover up his pain with so many other things. When deep down he was screaming for someone to just reach out and grab him and say I am here for you.
What if we became a generation that stopped all the crazy judgments and tearing people apart and truly tried to lift them in their trials and temptations that they go through. If a brother or sister comes to you with a problem pray with them and say you will be here to help them no matter what that means. Ones salvation or relationship with Christ is so much more important then, school, friends, eating, or anything else. Lets start being the people that when we hear someone is in need that we stop whatever we are doing and run after them and show them the love of Christ through our actions. Allow people to cry on your shoulder and know that you are not judging them but truly loving them the way we are called.
I hope you stop and take a moment and just pray to God and ask him to help you in this. It is hard and I am the first to admit it that it is truly hard for me to do. But God is willing to help and He is looking for people to step up and be a light for him to this world. Sometimes we are like Peter and deny Christ and turn our backs but Christ is always calling us back. Sometimes it just really helps to have someone there with us to show us that light.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up" - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
- Ephesians 4:29
2 comments:
This is just what I needed Brent.
thanks for sharing. i think the hardest part for us is being open to hear this rebuke and encouragement from others. when i think about it, i truly think lots of the body are trying to be this for each other, but we push them away and tell them my life is none of their business. we put up a mask and get prideful. so i think part of the examining the heart is to see if you are open to others and pray for that openness.
hows your new church??
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