Living in the Spirit

November 12, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach 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. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. –Hebrews 10:11-14.

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds

The Greek word translated as “provoke” in the above scripture is paroksysmós – a provocation which literally jabs (cuts) someone so they “must” respond*. I am not into jabbing or cutting anyone, but I do not understand how people who claim to worship the same God can have such markedly different understandings of God’s will for God’s people. There are many aspects of faith we could debate, but the Hebrew Bible and the teachings of Jesus are very clear we are all called to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Yet, we are being split asunder, one from the other, by the divide and conquer methods of evil in almost every aspect of life. Our actions are driving people away from churches and, I fear, from God. I wonder if the author of Hebrews was facing the same challenges within a hundred years of Jesus’s sojourn on earth. How fickle we can be.

Everything we do or say needs to be influenced by our love of God, everything. Charles Wesley may have said it best:

Help us to help each other, Lord,
each other’s cross to bear;
let each his friendly aid afford,
and feel another’s care.

Up into thee, our living head,
let us in all things grow,
and by thy sacrifice be led
the fruits of love to show.

Touched by the lodestone of thy love
let all our hearts agree;
and ever towards each other move,
and ever move towards thee.

This is the bond of perfectness,
thy spotless charity.
O let us still, we pray, possess
the mind that was in thee**.

Prayer: Father, forgive us, for we do not know what we are doing***.  Turn us around and teach us how to love each other and, in so doing, demonstrate our love for you. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3948.htm

**See at https://hymnary.org/text/help_us_to_help_each_other_lord

***Taken from Luke 23:34

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.