September 27, 2008 8:00 AM
Sam wrote:
Exhortation---an act of inciting or encourage, so says Webster. This chapter, the final one in a book written by someone, but no one is certain who, is just part of this entire (although the author calls 'short') letter which is super encouraging to believing Christians. To know that Jesus did what He did for US, is a reward in itself. Yes, this author is extremely encouraging, a trait that should be emulated by all Christians everywhere. When is the last time you encouraged another Christian in his or her walk with God? Joseph, AKA Barnabas, was called the Son of Encouragement---he must have been someone fanstastic to have been a friend of. A guy named Judas (not Jesus' betrayer) and his travelling companion, Silas, were encouraging Christians all over the land. Paul, of course, not only wrote great words of encouragement, but 'exhorted' them throughout his travels. In the book of Romans, it is written that we "may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith". Are we? How much have we encouraged each other lately BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH? Last Thursday, during our Bible Study, we talked about faith, the mustard seed, and all that as we were discussing the topic of prayer. The Bible talks of 'persistent' prayer, even giving an example of a widow 'pestering' a ruthless Judge to make a ruling. The more I think of that, the more I do NOT think that persistance in prayer necessarily means repeated over and over the same prayer. If our faith is strong enough, we should have to pray just ONCE (that is, if we are righteous at the time of prayer) and God will hear it and act on it in His way. He doesn't need to be reminded...He doesn't forget ANYTHING. Not sure how I got off the topic of encouragment to prayer, but, what the heck, both are great topics, don't you think? Seeing as how I am mind-wandering this morning, I want to briefly talk about a great experience I had last night. My wife and I went to see "Fireproof", a fantastic movie starring Kirk Cameron (the actor of other great Christian movies and one who, when interviewed, says he only kisses his WIFE on the lips, even in the movies). SO, if you get the opportunity to see this great movie, note the scene in which he kisses his on-screen wife (his real wife is a stand-in for that scene). WHAT A GREAT GESTURE AND LOVE THAT IS! Anyway, this movie is all about a man and woman struggling about getting divorced---the man's sins (and hers) are openly discussed and demonstrated, sins which the man didn't at first believe were even sins. Really, if you want a movie that will help YOU in a relationship with your spouse, watch THIS one. OK, I have exhorted enough this morning. Hopefully you all will get the opportunity to read this today, as I want to encourage you, with MY faith, that God is real, God is good, and God is on OUR side (now I know how I got from encouragement to faith, the Scripture I mentioned earlier...encourage each other by our own faith. Mine is strong, how's your's? Reply to this
September 27, 2008 9:46 AM
Rich wrote:
Mac - thanks for the encouragement. It worked. I read what you said above and (1) I feel encouraged myself and (2) I am going to kiss my wife (on the lips) and tell her how wonderful she is right after I finish today. Also, she wants to go on a date this week - Fireproof sounds great.
In this final paragraph Paul exhorts his listeners to several actions and/or thought processes. It is a common practice in most letters, speeches, talks, to summarize thoughts and say the most powerful things at the end. So, Paul must have considered these to be of great importance. Look at what he says:
1. Honor marriage (not just mine but everyone else's as well) 2. Stay away from adultery and sexual immorality 3. Do not love money (be content with what you have). 4. Remember and consider your leaders 5. Avoid strange teachings (do not let the "ways of the world" influence your faith) 6. Continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise (I think this is pray a lot = involve God in your daily life, thoughts and actions) 7. Do good and share with others 8. Respect those who lead you 9. Pray for others - blog partners, other friends, spouses, children, leaders of all kinds, the lost, the saved, and on and on I am sure.
After making this list I asked myself one by one how am I doing. I started by looking up the word HONOR:
"Probity, uprightness. Honor refers to the highest moral principles and the absence of deceit or fraud. Honor denotes a fine sense of, and a strict conformity to, what is considered morally right or due."
Is this the way I treat my wife? I had to answer NO.
Then, on to sexual purity. Am I sexually pure? How do I look at women around me? What do I watch on TV? What do I do on the internet? What do I think when I see a picture in a magazine? Am I PURE? Ughhh!!!
Am I happy/content with what I have? NO.
And on through all of these. Very convicting. I suggest you all do the same.
My conclusion is that I need to be much more diligent in my Bible study, prayer, sharing with others, ..., in short do the good I know I ought to be doing. Reply to this
September 27, 2008 9:58 AM
Tony wrote:
Great thoughts as always. Loving each other, entertaining strangers, remember those who suffer, how often do we actively do these things? Marriage should be honored ABOVE ALL ELSE, how often do we all forget this? Terry and I had a conflict last night, but I went and apologized and told her I love her even though I was not wrong ( I really wasn't) and it was resolved later. Constant prayer as Mac said is not praying for the same thing over and over but praying all day about everything. God is with us all day and night, constantly. Praying is just another name for talking. When we pray we talk to God, we sing to God, we hum to God. It is just a form of communication. When I am working I always talk with God because I cannot due it without Him. My success and my failures are with and because of God. I succeed with Him and I fail because I am not with Him. We can do nothing on our own and when we start thinking that we can things don't work, marriages, work, relationships. This usually happens when we are not doing the first things that I mentioned, when we are not in our bible, when we are not communicating with God. Everything in this world revolves around communication, why would God be any different? Reply to this
this comment just happened to be exactly 777 characters long. Kind of neat. Reply to this
September 27, 2008 2:53 PM
rik wrote:
great educational and convicting topics today, brothers. I see encouragement, confession, repentance, joy, hope, love, and unity. This is one of the most encouraging book we have read so far with this blog. I see rich think Paul wrote it, but it is not known conclusively who did. I don't think there is another book in the new testament that the author is unknown. I do believe consistency in the bible is so essential to an inner peace one a daily basis. I like Tony rarely set a specific time to focus on just praying to God. I do, however chat with him throughout the day, and I sing to him a lot (it even sounds good to Him). We should all try to get together on a sat morning at 730-800ish soon and just have a time of reading and praying together. what say you? Reply to this
Exhortation---an act of inciting or encourage, so says Webster. This chapter, the final one in a book written by someone, but no one is certain who, is just part of this entire (although the author calls 'short') letter which is super encouraging to believing Christians. To know that Jesus did what He did for US, is a reward in itself. Yes, this author is extremely encouraging, a trait that should be emulated by all Christians everywhere. When is the last time you encouraged another Christian in his or her walk with God?
Joseph, AKA Barnabas, was called the Son of Encouragement---he must have been someone fanstastic to have been a friend of. A guy named Judas (not Jesus' betrayer) and his travelling companion, Silas, were encouraging Christians all over the land. Paul, of course, not only wrote great words of encouragement, but 'exhorted' them throughout his travels. In the book of Romans, it is written that we "may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith". Are we? How much have we encouraged each other lately BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH?
Last Thursday, during our Bible Study, we talked about faith, the mustard seed, and all that as we were discussing the topic of prayer. The Bible talks of 'persistent' prayer, even giving an example of a widow 'pestering' a ruthless Judge to make a ruling. The more I think of that, the more I do NOT think that persistance in prayer necessarily means repeated over and over the same prayer. If our faith is strong enough, we should have to pray just ONCE (that is, if we are righteous at the time of prayer) and God will hear it and act on it in His way. He doesn't need to be reminded...He doesn't forget ANYTHING. Not sure how I got off the topic of encouragment to prayer, but, what the heck, both are great topics, don't you think? Seeing as how I am mind-wandering this morning, I want to briefly talk about a great experience I had last night. My wife and I went to see "Fireproof", a fantastic movie starring Kirk Cameron (the actor of other great Christian movies and one who, when interviewed, says he only kisses his WIFE on the lips, even in the movies). SO, if you get the opportunity to see this great movie, note the scene in which he kisses his on-screen wife (his real wife is a stand-in for that scene). WHAT A GREAT GESTURE AND LOVE THAT IS! Anyway, this movie is all about a man and woman struggling about getting divorced---the man's sins (and hers) are openly discussed and demonstrated, sins which the man didn't at first believe were even sins. Really, if you want a movie that will help YOU in a relationship with your spouse, watch THIS one. OK, I have exhorted enough this morning. Hopefully you all will get the opportunity to read this today, as I want to encourage you, with MY faith, that God is real, God is good, and God is on OUR side (now I know how I got from encouragement to faith, the Scripture I mentioned earlier...encourage each other by our own faith. Mine is strong, how's your's?
Reply to this
Mac - thanks for the encouragement. It worked. I read what you said above and (1) I feel encouraged myself and (2) I am going to kiss my wife (on the lips) and tell her how wonderful she is right after I finish today. Also, she wants to go on a date this week - Fireproof sounds great.
In this final paragraph Paul exhorts his listeners to several actions and/or thought processes. It is a common practice in most letters, speeches, talks, to summarize thoughts and say the most powerful things at the end. So, Paul must have considered these to be of great importance. Look at what he says:
1. Honor marriage (not just mine but everyone else's as well)
2. Stay away from adultery and sexual immorality
3. Do not love money (be content with what you have).
4. Remember and consider your leaders
5. Avoid strange teachings (do not let the "ways of the world" influence your faith)
6. Continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise (I think this is pray a lot = involve God in your daily life, thoughts and actions)
7. Do good and share with others
8. Respect those who lead you
9. Pray for others - blog partners, other friends, spouses, children, leaders of all kinds, the lost, the saved, and on and on I am sure.
After making this list I asked myself one by one how am I doing. I started by looking up the word HONOR:
"Probity, uprightness. Honor refers to the highest moral principles and the absence of deceit or fraud. Honor denotes a fine sense of, and a strict conformity to, what is considered morally right or due."
Is this the way I treat my wife? I had to answer NO.
Then, on to sexual purity. Am I sexually pure? How do I look at women around me? What do I watch on TV? What do I do on the internet? What do I think when I see a picture in a magazine? Am I PURE? Ughhh!!!
Am I happy/content with what I have? NO.
And on through all of these. Very convicting. I suggest you all do the same.
My conclusion is that I need to be much more diligent in my Bible study, prayer, sharing with others, ..., in short do the good I know I ought to be doing.
Reply to this
Great thoughts as always. Loving each other, entertaining strangers, remember those who suffer, how often do we actively do these things? Marriage should be honored ABOVE ALL ELSE, how often do we all forget this? Terry and I had a conflict last night, but I went and apologized and told her I love her even though I was not wrong ( I really wasn't) and it was resolved later. Constant prayer as Mac said is not praying for the same thing over and over but praying all day about everything. God is with us all day and night, constantly. Praying is just another name for talking. When we pray we talk to God, we sing to God, we hum to God. It is just a form of communication. When I am working I always talk with God because I cannot due it without Him. My success and my failures are with and because of God. I succeed with Him and I fail because I am not with Him. We can do nothing on our own and when we start thinking that we can things don't work, marriages, work, relationships. This usually happens when we are not doing the first things that I mentioned, when we are not in our bible, when we are not communicating with God. Everything in this world revolves around communication, why would God be any different?
Reply to this
FYI
this comment just happened to be exactly 777 characters long. Kind of neat.
Reply to this
great educational and convicting topics today, brothers. I see encouragement, confession, repentance, joy, hope, love, and unity. This is one of the most encouraging book we have read so far with this blog. I see rich think Paul wrote it, but it is not known conclusively who did. I don't think there is another book in the new testament that the author is unknown. I do believe consistency in the bible is so essential to an inner peace one a daily basis. I like Tony rarely set a specific time to focus on just praying to God. I do, however chat with him throughout the day, and I sing to him a lot (it even sounds good to Him). We should all try to get together on a sat morning at 730-800ish soon and just have a time of reading and praying together. what say you?
Reply to this