Friday November 19, 2021

Today is Friday, November 19 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about good deeds.

As I approach these fifteen minutes devoted to the Lord, I pause and become still. I take slow, deep breaths and focus my entire being on the presence of God.

Pause and Pray

God, I worship and praise you in the quiet stillness of the early morning. I listen for your voice. Help me hear the message you have for me today. Speak to me through the power of your Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

I praise the Lord with the words of an ancient prayer attributed to Moses in Psalm 90.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:14,16-17

Pause and Pray

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement in the 18th century believed that doing good and not doing harm is the way Christian believers should live. These were the basic General Rules of the Methodist Societies, do no harm and do all the good you can. Wesley is attributed the following quote, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” In similar fashion the author of the book of Hebrews encourages believers to provoke one another to love and good deeds. The original Greek is a strong word that is sometimes translated as spur one another on, motivate, stir up or stimulate. It is an action a rider would make to move his horse from a walk to a gallop. We are to “spur one another on” to good deeds. Let’s go!

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 10:22-25

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. This passage gives me assurance that I have been forgiven by Jesus Christ and through his blood I am washed clean from sin. His promise is faithful and I have the promise of full salvation. I move into the future with the sole aim of living a life of love and good deeds. Loving God and loving others well. I meet frequently with other Christian believers for encouragement and motivation to make progress in holiness and live a Godly life. I aim to live a life that is rich in good deeds that glorify God and witness to his amazing love. As John Wesley encourages, I want to do all the good I can in this lifetime.

Ask: How does my relationship with Jesus Christ and the fellowship I share with other believers “spur me on” to love and good deeds?

Pause and Pray

Holy God, my Father in heaven, thank you for the assurance of your forgiveness, redemption and salvation through the blood of your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ.Thank you for your faithfulness and steadfast love. Motivate me to live a life full of love and good deeds. Encourage me to faithfully meet together with other Christian believers and not fall into the habit of neglecting Christian fellowship. I read the words of Hebrews again, listening for the message you have for me today.

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 10:22-25

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

As I carefully read the words from Hebrews, I consider the state of my heart. Do I possess full assurance of my faith? I consider the state of my conscience. Is my conscience sprinkled clean from evil? I consider the state of my body. I am washed with pure water. I am prepared as a holy and living sacrifice and as a pure temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell. I cannot do this cleansing myself, no matter how hard I try. I am totally reliant on the sanctifying grace and power of the Holy Spirit at work in me. Have I gotten in the habit of neglecting to meet together with other Christians? Have I stopped attending worship, whether in person or online? Has the isolation of the pandemic prevented me from being in the company of other Christians? Am I content to miss church and stay home? Am I motivated to love and good deeds? Am I motivating others?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, I invite you in. Come into my heart and life; I surrender all to you. Wash me with pure water, cleanse me and I will be clean. Provoke me to live a life of love and good deeds. Show me the next steps in my spiritual journey and help me grow into maturity in the Christian life. Amen.

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

As I leave this time of prayer and go throughout my day, I go with renewed motivation to live a life of love and good deeds. Lord, show me how I can demonstrate love to everyone I encounter. Amen.