Verse of the Day 10/24

Verse of the Day 10/24

Hebrews 10:23-24^?? So now we must cling tightly to the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps his promises!^[a]??^24??Discover creative ways to encourage others^[b]??and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.???? The Passion Translation (TPT)

In verse 22 of this passage (read below in the NKJV) we are encouraged and challenged to "draw near" to God.?? We do so by seeking Him in His Word and spending time in prayer.?? It is not a physical act, to be seen by others for acknowledgment,?? it is an "invisible" matter of the heart which goes down to our soul. But the result and impact should not be invisible, it should show in our outward actions.?? This leads us to today's verses which call us to "cling tightly" to the hope that we have in us and "consider" (NKJV below) and "discover" (TPT above) ways to encourage, motivate and challenge others to acts of kindness, love, and compassion.

This stopping to consider and then acting upon it will help us to avoid a life where we are simply "killing time" waiting for something to happen with empty minds and empty hearts.?? John Piper writes:

"It is crystal clear in the Bible, including this text, that God means for us to aim consciously at something significant in our days.    God???s revealed will for you is that when you get up in the morning, you don???t drift aimlessly through the day letting mere circumstances alone dictate what you do, but that you aim at something ??? that you focus on a certain kind of purpose.     Aimlessness is akin to lifelessness. Dead leaves in the back yard may move around more than anything else ??? more than the dog, more than the children. The wind blows this way, they go this way. The wind blows that way, they go that way. They tumble, they bounce, they skip, they press against a fence, but they have no aim whatsoever. They are full of motion and empty of life."    Spend time in God's Word today and then consider it, consider what you might to to make something of your day and your life by "discovering creative ways to encourage others" towards acts of kindness, love, mercy or compassion.  Any one of them would be better than being full of motion with an empty life.    

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Hebrews 10:19-25??New King James Version (NKJV)

Hold Fast Your Confession

^19??Therefore, brethren, having??boldness^[a]??to enter??the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,??^20??by a new and??living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,??^21??and??having??a High Priest over the house of God,??^22??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.??^23??Let us hold fast the confession of??our??hope without wavering, for??He who promised??is??faithful.??^24??And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,??^25??not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as??is??the manner of some, but exhorting??one another,??and??so much the more as you see??the Day approaching.