Page 30 - Living Light 86

Wednesday October 2 - God does not forget
God... will not forget your work and the love you have shown him...
Hebrews 6:10
Maybe yesterday’s reflection left you feeling a bit down; I hope it didn’t but I can understand why it might. Most of us, when we look at our lives, don’t think we are making much progress; in fact often we feel we are going backwards. So this passage is here to encourage us: ‘we are confident of better things in your case’ (v 9).
We may feel we have done very little for God in our Christian lives, compared with all he has done for us in Jesus, in answering our prayers and by pouring his Spirit into our lives. We get to church whenever we can, although sometimes when tired our minds wander; we try to pray, even though sometimes we forget! But be encouraged!
God does not forget. He is not wanting to catch us out or condemn us. Like a loving parent, he is overjoyed by every act of love we have shown him. “Shown him? What have I done for God?” we might ask ourselves. He has lavished his love on me and all I can offer are a few dribs and drabs. But then I recall Jesus’ teaching about the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus explained that if we have helped people in need of a drink of water or visited them, then we are doing it to Jesus.
Compassionate God, please open my eyes today to the many ways that, through helping actions and thoughtful words, I can serve and please you. Amen.
Thursday October 3 - Who to imitate
...imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12
It is generally considered wrong to imitate a great artist’s painting, although to do this with the ability to convince others it might be original requires great skill and application. Strangely, it is considered fine for a pianist to play Bach or Mozart’s music, or be a ‘tribute’ singer emulating a famous one! Whatever the supposed rights and wrongs, all of these efforts affirm the greatness of the originals.
So here we are encouraged to imitate great people of faith. Their lives, in tough circumstances which lead on to God’s victory, can encourage us. In Hebrews chapter 11 we will learn about some Old Testament people whose lives can inspire us. But we can also learn about later Christian people’s lives and see how, with God’s help and his promises, they came through danger, disappointment and even betrayal, bringing God’s help to others.
So, if today you are struggling to believe in God’s love or presence with you, please recall stories of Christians you’ve heard about, dip into the amazing life stories in the Old Testament or the gospels, and then ask God to help you ‘copy’ them. This will help us to hold on to the hope we have of forgiveness, freedom from bad habits, becoming more like Jesus and eventually receiving eternal life. This kind of ‘copying’ is not cheating – it’s God’s plan for us!
PRAYER FOR TODAY
28
Encouraging God, thank you for all the ways other believers can encourage me when I feel like giving up. May my story help others too. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY