A Stirring Moment

Nº 396

One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement . . . We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word. - William Barclay

On special occasions I often make fresh squeezed orange juice. The wonderful taste is worth the aggravation of buying, cutting, squeezing, and cleaning up the mess. If the juice sets for more than a few minutes, the favorable parts drift to the bottom of the pitcher and the watery liquid rises to the top. Before serving, it needs a good stirring.

Sometimes our loving attitude and/or work ethic trend downward; without much effort, bad attitudes and lazy patterns may rise to the top of our experience. We all need a readjustment now and again. The writer of Hebrews understood the need for a good stirring. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)

At times our love for God and others needs to be stirred up. Sometimes, our commitment to God and our desire to do good works drift downward and need a good stirring. How does that happen? We stir up one another!

The next verse provides the key: Let us not give up meeting together. (Hebrews 10:25a) Church services, small groups, Bible studies, fellowships, camps, conferences and a host of other opportunities are available to stir us up to love and good works.

Excelsior,

Dan Bolin