Setting this thread up is certainly one way we are stimulating one another...
Here’s another one:
Galatians 6:9-10
9So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Ditto to MamaDearest who has so many loved ones with many desperate needs and has been giving and giving and giving for a considerable time with often less than ideal responses. Let us remember her and all those she reaches out to in prayer a bit extra this week. [Cheekily requested without her requesting or permission]
Here's today's verse in a few versions [Don't know this version's ref/copyright]:
This may well be my most favorite ONE ANOTHER. This version using "stimulate" and "good deeds" is, to me, a fairly mild version. But it still gets at each of us triggering in ONE ANOTHER good actions.
This is probably my favorite version and the one I've memorized long ago. I suppose uhhhhh, part of my personality really gets into that "provoke" aspect. But I can honestly say, my mother made me do it. Well, sort of. At least some of her IMPERATIVENESS more than rubbed off on me in spite of my best efforts otherwise. LOL.
But "provoke" even in our non-KJV era has some interesting aspects. It's NOT passive. It's NOT apathetic toward others. It's NOT unattentive. It's NOT--at it's best--thoughtless.
Most all of us have probably had the expreience of setting up a young child in a situation where they eneded up being provoked to learn something, do something, say something cute etc.
--We may have positioned ourselves where we knew they would run and jump in our arms.
--Or where they would ask for their favorite ice cream cone.
--Or where they would verbalise their standard English mangling cutism.
--Or we may lie on the floor where we know they will come and dog pile us for a loving wrestling time.
--Or, we more thought, care and preparation, we may set them up to learn to lovingly care for a puppy; to share a toy with a friend; to help make breakfast for Mom complete with jam spread hither thither and yon.
But how often do we take such thoughtful care with any of the bothers and sisters in our lives? Or, maybe harder, with any of our co-workers?
Yes, it takes time and thoughtfulness. Maybe some creativity. Some effort. Holy Spirit has plenty of creativity if we'll but ask Him. Time, energy and effort are our fitting sacrificial broken bread and poured out wine back to OUR LORD--into the lives of ONE ANOTHER as He instructed and modeled TO THE UTTERMOST.
I don't think the excuse that American Idol was more attractive that evening will likely cut it.
But it's UPSIDE DOWN to consider it a chore, duty, earn-Heavenly-brownie-points task. CHRIST DECLARED IT'S MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE.
Those aren't idle, dutiful, pseudo truisms from our denomination's magicsterical. THAT'S TRUTH from the CREATOR OF ALL THAT IS; FROM HE WHO IS TRUTH.
We know that when we see the delighted giggle of a child we have just given to. We know that when we have given our spouse something longed for--especially a PART OF US that is truly SHARING vulnerably, servant-heartedly. We know THE TRUTH of that Christ exhortation then.
But we get what--with other ONE ANOTHERS? Gun-shy? What does that mean in such a context?
Oh--relationships are messy . . . undependable . . . hurtful . . . obligation gets realllllly bothersome and entangled . . . It's just not worth it.
So, Jesus didn't know what He was talking about? He was clueless about real relationships in our daily life nitty gritty? NO WAY!
Yeah, it's easier to drop a $20.00 in a poverty stricken beleagered mother's open bag on the subway when she's looking the other way. And usually quite fitting to do good deeds known only to God. That's Love. Selfless Love. Very needful and Christ-like.
But this verse is mostly about impacting those we touch in ways that will be known to them. When we can do it anonymously--WONDERFUL. But waiting for that once a month or once a year chance is missing out on the joyous gold treasure in this verse far too much.
And many around us NEED--DESPERATELY NEED--trained in such habits as well as to be on the receiving end of such deeds. We dare not be slothful about this verse.
Mostly it takes wanting TO BE LIKE JESUS. But isn't that what Christianity is about anyway?
It takes asking HIM by His Spirit to give us ideas; prompt us; change us within; create a clean heart and a right spirit; give us His heart for those around us; Love through us; BE HIS HANDS extended. Then it takes stepping out and JUST DOING IT.
I think the obligation to train our kids in such is one of the more significant, sobering, essential obligations we have IF we truly want them to be Christians. Thankfully, kids get such a kick out of learning to do so.
But adults can learn too. They just need to decide it's worth the cost. IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN RECEIVE. If you haven't learned that--Go back to Go. Ask for another $200 and try again. Keep at it until you get it. When you've gotten it, you'll know it. You'll know more emphatically, deeply, broadly that in virtually all circumstances--it IS more blessed to give than receive. And then, there's no turning back. No other way of living is worth it.
Sure, start small. Great things have small beginnings. Start in your own family. Start even with children. But move routinely to your spouse, too. Clear out the cobwebs, the resentments, the hurts, the hogwash to insure a full force flow of PROVOKING UNTO LOVE AND GOOD WORKS.
One of the best ways is to just attempt for say 2 weeks TO OUT LOVE THEM IN SACRIFICIAL SERVANT-HEARTED--MOSTLY COVERT THOUGHTFUL WAYS. Doesn't take much money. Often none is best.
It just takes HEART, Love, Thoughtfulness.
1. A one line note;
2. A trash can emptied;
3. A windshield cleaned;
4. Oil changed;
5. A favorite magazine in a favorite chair;
. . .
6. A neck, shoulder and/or hand massage;
7. A foot massage;
8. A favorite meal;
9. A surrendered remote control
10. Watching Lifetime channel for a change
. . .
11. Mowing the grass before it buggs her
12. Doing all his/her chores for 24 hours
13. Calling his/her folks and sharing something sweet they did for you or the kids this week
14. Engineering a dogpiling wake-up on one of the kids beds for a change
15. Telling him/her they look great to you when you know they don't feel that way--they look great because you're looking at their heart.
. . .
16. Removing a temptation to sin without saying anything.
17. Forgiving graciously without pressure before forgiveness has been asked [not always fitting but sometimes].
18. Going for a walk hand in hand 'just because.'
19. Earnestly working to change an annoying habit.
20. Doing something goofy-ly-loving like a love struck 12-14 year old just to remind him/her that you still feel the same way only more so.
Holy Spirit has lots more ways to suggest if you'll ask Him and listen with your heart.
I think provoke has for too many of us an ornery, fiesty, prickly, sharp, painful edge to it. Obviously that's not what's meant here--at least not mostly! LOL. But if we HAVE SOME FUN in our voice tones and our eyes . . . we CAN successfully provoke our loved ones to doing good works. And we can certainly model such, increasing the chance they will become infected with the priority.
"Spur" is a bit more gentle . . . unless you're a sensitive horse and the spur is extra sharp. But the image is one of--"COMMON, YOU CAN DO IT--GO FOR IT--I'M HERE CHEERING AND WITH A WILLING HAND TO HELP!
Many of us get so weighed down with the cares of the world that our energy is gone; our motivation is gone; our hope is gone. We are fresh out. We FEEL LIKE we have NOTHING else to give. And maybe for a time, that's the overly pregnant reality and has to be accepted as such until some rest and recharging has occurred.
But a lot of the time, we COULD RISE TO THE OCCASION with just a minimum of encouragement from those around us spurring us on toward increased Christ-like focus, love and actions. JUST LOVE IT OUT. JUST LOVE OUT. JUST FLOW IT.
I love this one, too. INVENTIVE--Holy Spirit is a great inventor and is delighted to make us look like one, too. But we need to ask and to step out of the boat when He prompts us to. COMFORT ZONES are ruts--which are graves with the ends extended. He can give us new more EXPANSIVE AND FULFILLING comfort zones when we learn to step out of the boat routinely with Him.
So, you get wet occasionally--aren't you wash and wear? It's the least you can do for Jesus--AND FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR CHURCH FAMILY!
Wow, that Amplified doesn't leave much wiggle room.
CONSIDER--PAUSE from the rush of the enemy's time pressures and even the fitting pressures of the day--pause--consider--THINK--REACH FOR THOUGHTFULNESS--HOLY SPIRIT IS FULL OF THOUGHTFULNESS.
GIVE attentive, continuous care. Wow. Is there any of that left in the world today? THERE CAN BE--IN YOUR HOME, IN YOUR WORK PLACE, IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS--IN YOUR HEART AND FLOWING OUT OF YOUR HEART AND HANDS BY GOD'S SPIRIT AND GRACE. There CAN be. Are you willing to pay the price for such treasure?
Attend to. Pay attention to. A show once about robotic care giving Grandmothers involved them discussing their charges and duties while waiting for a new assignment. One of them remarked--wasn't love just paying attention? . . . and behaving accordingly?
Continuous care. I think God alone is continuously caring. But we are being conformed to His image and can be a lot more consistent and faithful than we ever dared imagine if we will just risk having HIS heart transplant. And the fruit of that is MORE THAN WORTH IT.
Watching over one another. "Oh, that's their problem." And, it may fittingly be their problem. Yet, we are to bear one another's burdens. Not dysfunctionally--enablingly in the worst sense--but as unto The Lord and as we'd like done to us. WATCHING--focused--on one another instead of the idiot box; the worries satan feeds our tired brains; the cat litter; . . . WATCHING OVER ONE ANOTHER. What else, really, short of God directly, is worth watching . . . over?
STUDYING how we may STIR UP . . . Goodness! This is serious business!
STUDYING indicates some concentrated focus exploring the many possibilities for stirring up--provoking, spurring, inciting, stimulating, triggering unto love and good works.
Actually, men, a lot of wives would LOVE to be stimulated passionately into a priceless romp IF they felt cherished throughout the day, the week in all the other little interactions that were not so little to the heart.
Helpful deeds; noble activities. Random acts of kindness are OK for family, too! And certainly for others in the FAMILY OF GOD.
Motivation is an idiosyncratic thing, usually. We have to tailor motivating encouragements to the individual AS THEY ARE AND AS WHO THEY ARE. Not as who or as we'd wish them to be. Ask Holy Spirit to help you feel what it's like to live in their skin. Then motivate from that awareness. HE IS ABLE. Are you willing?
LORD, GOD, Please quicken this verse to us at fitting moments in the coming weeks and months. Remind us that our goal REALLY IS to be conformed to your image. Give us the creativity and the motiavtion to walk this verse out in the nitty gritties of daily live with those we love so much and those we ought to love more.
HELP us to realize as the book title says: LOVE IS A DECISION. And to decide actively that we WILL, by Your Grace and Spirit be more loving TODAY--NOW--HERE--IN THIS RELATIONSHIP. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
We must rely on the Spirit to show us through rose (love) colored glasses, what is good in the other person and show us how to bring out that good that it may work for His glory.