The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 1:11,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."
Paul considered what each would receive by visiting together as a "gift". The mutual encouragement, (the gift), wrought by spending time together would result in strength. In my mind this is a spiritual strength that brings those wonderful qualities that can be ours in the Lord: spiritual maturity, tenacity in the faith, joy, excitement in our incredible hope, boundless love for God and one another, etc. How wonderful our God, still today, provides us with brothers and sisters he has gifted who bring this encouragement into our lives resulting in this spiritual strength!
I am reminded of 1 Peter 4:10, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." How astonishing it is that God uses other believers in our lives to dispense his grace to us!
Perhaps this is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said in 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Far beyond a proof text for insisting on acceptable church-going attendance on Sunday mornings as pastors attempt to fill their pews, I see here a need we have for spending time together for a loftier purpose. It is our wonderful Heavenly Father's design for vital, healthy spiritual growth as we spend time together – particularly in more intimate settings that result in our lives touching one another – resulting in "some spiritual gift to make you strong".
How wonderful our God is, who has provided gifted brothers and sisters in the Lord - I know what an encouragement they are to me!
Paul considered what each would receive by visiting together as a "gift". The mutual encouragement, (the gift), wrought by spending time together would result in strength. In my mind this is a spiritual strength that brings those wonderful qualities that can be ours in the Lord: spiritual maturity, tenacity in the faith, joy, excitement in our incredible hope, boundless love for God and one another, etc. How wonderful our God, still today, provides us with brothers and sisters he has gifted who bring this encouragement into our lives resulting in this spiritual strength!
I am reminded of 1 Peter 4:10, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." How astonishing it is that God uses other believers in our lives to dispense his grace to us!
Perhaps this is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said in 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Far beyond a proof text for insisting on acceptable church-going attendance on Sunday mornings as pastors attempt to fill their pews, I see here a need we have for spending time together for a loftier purpose. It is our wonderful Heavenly Father's design for vital, healthy spiritual growth as we spend time together – particularly in more intimate settings that result in our lives touching one another – resulting in "some spiritual gift to make you strong".
How wonderful our God is, who has provided gifted brothers and sisters in the Lord - I know what an encouragement they are to me!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment