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think about this:
How often do you think about encouraging others?
Do you feel that it is important to do so?
How does one stir another up to; love and good works?

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how to strip up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

I had the opportunity to read through the book of Hebrews recently and it was so rich with the gospel and the glory of Christ. From the very beginning of the book the writer straight out says that Christ is the "radiance" of the glory of God, and the exact imprint of his nature! From there the author compares the glory of Christ to the angels, to the Israelites forefathers, to the Law of Moses, to Melchizedek, to basically everything that a Jew would hold on to and value highly.

Something that really stuck out to me was 10:24-25 and how the author calls believers to stir each other up to love and good works. Initially, I remembered reading this verse in the past and how this verse pushed me to be in community with other believers and gave me a heart to disciple others. Reading this now is definitely convicting, seeing how I've let the busy-ness of life and "ministry" get in the way of true ministry. Not just settling for just the few minutes I see my brothers and sisters in Christ on Sunday morning, going through the "hi, I'm doing fine" routine. What I am called to, as all believers are, is to genuine relationship and love to the body of Christ and the world, and to accomplish that takes more than the few measly minutes we have in passing on Sunday morning. It takes time, just as all meaningful relationships do. And through this time we spend with each other, this is when we stir each other up in love, whether it's through teaching each other, training one another, rebuking another, or correcting one another. All of these things are needed to "stir" up another with the end goal of it being that our love for Christ increases as well as our love for others.

It is my prayer this week for myself that I will wake up to this reality and seek out what it means to truly love my brothers and sisters in Christ, and commit to stir up others towards love and good works.