Grace, peace, mercy, and love from God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
So much has happened in the last month, I trust this finds you in the midst of God’s loving presence and not too overcome by the things of this world that you are not able to see God in places and faces.
A good friend is a Personal Trainer who is very passionate about her work. She is relentless in her interaction with clients: Are you eating the right things? What was your calorie, fat, carb, protein intake each day since our last session? [There is even an app for that!] Are you exercising as prescribed? How are you sleeping? Are you drinking enough water? The questions seem endless. Why is she so passionate about this? Because we are the temple of God as Paul reminds us (1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19)? I think not…it is probably because she wants her clients to get the most out of sessions and their work together.
Let me now harken back to Pastor Joe Neilsen’s keynote at our Annual Meeting last July (It is the journey, not the experience) and draw a parallel with my Personal Trainer friend. Let’s suppose you engaged my friend for a three-day exercise program. It is a great time reinforcing many things you knew and you are given pointers on how to improve. Since it is a group activity, friends (old and new) coach you! Then, upon returning home, no one encourages you to go to the gym. There is no one to monitor your calorie, fat, carb, protein intake. There is no one to coach you in your exercise routine (in fact it becomes routine – and – because it is routine, muscle memory kicks in and the exercises you do aren’t as effective as it could be)!
Sound familiar? It does for me too. How I appreciate the encouraging words of my friend as she continues to encourage me…every time I am at the gym: relationship, relationship, relationship. My weekly discussions with brothers and sisters in our walk with the Lord are so encouraging and life giving. Their questions are: How are you doing physically, emotionally, and spiritually? How have you lived a life of piety, study, and apostolic action? What is your plan for piety, study, and apostolic action in the coming week? Where have you seen God?
Gracious…there are people that care! Thank you God!! May I encourage you to encourage people wherever you find yourself…trusting God has placed you there.
In Christ –
Ed
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
