Spur One Another On
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Hebrews 10:19-25
19. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20. by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21. and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22. let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; 24. and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25. 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.
My NIV translation of verse 24 replaces “stir up one another to love and good works” with "spur one another on to love and good works.” It’s a subtle difference, but spurring one another is what caught my attention this morning! Stirring up one another indicates more of a need to begin a process, where spurring one another on, makes me think of a continuation. Since I haven’t unpacked any dictionaries yet (I know, it’s hard to believe!) I’m going to wing this one and hope I’m not so far off base that readers are distracted from my point!
Actually, the writer’s exhortations are included in verses 22-25: Draw near with full assurance of faith. We can have faith without hesitation because of Christ! We are to purify our hearts and minds from worldly thoughts and actions to those of a redeemed believer! We are to encourage and uplift others in their faith walk, and meet together—in church, but also in small groups and gatherings to worship God together and share our faith with others. And we are to continue all this through good times, bad times, day-in and day-out. Because really, the bad times are not as bad as they would be if we had no faith!
But I refer back to “spurring one another on.” As I stated, this one instruction is what caught my attention this morning. Reading that verse prompted me to a thought process that led to a self-realization that I’m not very proud of. But I am grateful to have this realization and so grateful that God has put into my life people who do spur me on. I’ve noticed that I sometimes fall into a form of negativity that is really judgment of others. Not “prejudice” in the sense of judging a group or class of people, but rather assigning negative attributes to individuals—either those I know or those I hear about on the news or read about in the newspaper. Some time ago I recall making a statement about Saddam Hussein that “some people are beyond deserving mercy.” What a horrible, awful, self-righteous thing to say! To his credit, one of my dearest friends and spiritual mentors gently reprimanded me.
And throughout the past several months as I have dealt with stressful issues in my job, helping our daughter as she prepares to move and begin a new chapter in her life, keeping our son on track and working toward his short-term goals, and then, of course, moving . . . Well, you get it! Throughout the past few months I’ve noticed how quickly I assign negative attributes to people! I guess Rick Warren would remind me that “it’s not about me!” Fortunately, my husband has gently redirected me, and sometimes has actually been a bit put out by my negativity/judgments! He spurs me on to reframe my thoughts and, basically, to remember that we all are sinful and broken. I am drawn back to Tuesday’s devotion where we are instructed to “Rend our Hearts.”
Stress is about me. It is the symptom of making life about me. It’s about putting “me” in the center of my universe. I thank God for my friends and especially for my husband this morning. He knows of which he speaks, because he’s been down that path too! That’s how being a Christian works, I think! I share my journey and my lessons learned and you share your journey and your lessons learned . . . and we all benefit! We all spur one another on!
I hope today you will put God and the loving sacrifice of his precious son squarely at the center of your world. And that you will be spurred on by the love and faith of other Christians in your life.
Mary
