Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing … If We Are the Body … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, need to come TOGETHER in unity to work for God’s kingdom.
Gazelles in "alert circles"
=============
Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 10:24-25 [NKJV] ... 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
… We, as Christians need to come TOGETHER as the household of faith to lift one another up.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 10:19-25 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Scriptures warns us that we need to come together to look our for one another in the body of Christ.
==============
Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:20 [NLT] … 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
… Jesus promises to be there with us as Christians … always and everywhere. - no matter what we face, especially if/when we can all work TOGETHER in obedience to God.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
… God, thru Paul, shows His family that we need to humble ourselves and work together to look out for the interests of each other.
Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 4:10 NLT] … 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
… God, thru Peter, exhorts Christians to come together - in Christ’s Body - to work together, using our individual Spirit-given gifts to work for God’s kingdom.
Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:8 NLT] … 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
… Peter also warns fellow Christians to be alert and watch out - TOGETHER - for our prowling spiritual enemies.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, uses a word picture from the wild to show how we Christians need to be alert - TOGETHER - for our prowling spiritual enemies. … The ODB author wrote: African gazelles instinctively form “alert circles” while resting on the savannah. They gather in groups with each animal facing outward in a slightly different direction. This enables them to scan the horizon a full 360 degrees and to communicate about approaching dangers or opportunities. [see photo]
Instead of looking out only for themselves, the members of the group take care of one another. This is also God’s wisdom for followers of Jesus.
I think the word picture and its application for us Christians is pretty obvious, isn’t it? As the linked song declares and all the Scriptures above point toward … we Christians, as the body of Christ, need to come together, as do the gazelles, to protect one another from our prowling spiritual enemies (see 1Peter 5:8) and to use the unity of our spirit-given gifts to work for God’s kingdom (see highlight passage and Phil. 2:3-4 and 1Peter 4:10). And in all of that, we must know that our Lord will be with us in our humble quest to serve His kingdom [see Matt. 28:20].
So, my dear ones, in the words of the old Nike motto, let’s … JUST DO IT!!!
=============
My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for bringing us together to protect the body and be more effective in serving You.
=============
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to watch out of our prowling enemy and to work as Your body for Your kingdom. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
No comments:
Post a Comment