A Poke and A Prod

A Poke and A Prod

We had our first of many Men’s Prayer Breakfast this morning and this was the devotion I shared there.

So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water. Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise. Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. (Hebrews 10:22-24 GNB)

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (Hebrews 10:22-24 KJV)

We walk through our lives often wondering what’s around the corner, what’s the next hill to climb, why we feel so alone, etc. But God our father is standing, looking at us, His dear children, just waiting for us to notice Him and come running to Him. Can’t you just picture Him looking at us, arms crossed, wingtip shoes tapping, waiting, sighing, waiting. While all those cares and worries we carry can be erased if we only seek His love and His face.

Paul tells us here in Hebrews that God is asking us to draw near to Him with a heart that is sincere and pure. What we need to remember is that coming to Him this way is so much more profound than the first time we ever approached Him. At that time we were seeking His forgiveness and accepting His offer of grace, but now we should draw near seeking something more. We should approach Him with conversation, adoration, worship, dependence, etc. Come into His presence in new and different ways, putting forth effort and seeking Him! This brings us into a more mature understanding of God.

He goes on telling us to hold on to the hope we have, the faith we have, the belief we have in our sovereign God. As babes in Christ it is often easy to lose sight of God because we do not have our eyes firmly planted on Him. But what we will find is that when we learn NOT to doubt in the strength and power of our God and learn to rely more and more on Him, the easier it is to hang on to His love. Growth in the Lord strengthens our faith.

Finally he points out that we need to be aware of our brothers and sisters, to consider them! How often do we never bother to look up and see those around us, only looking at the toes of our shoes as we walk through life. We need to consider them and from what we see in them, provoke them into action. So we should not only show the love of Christ in our lives but poke and prod fellow believers into action.