“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:23-25).
Hey gang: I heard a neat story that has banged around inside my head for years. It seems one day a man, who had been a pillar of the church, burned out on his many responsibilities in the church and decided he could worship his God in his own way in his own home without the hassles and pressures.
After his absence for several weeks, the pastor went to visit him. As he and the pastor sat in front of the blazing fireplace, without saying a word, the pastor took the fireplace tongs and removed one of the blazing coals and laid it aside away from the fire. As they sat there in silence the coal began to lose its intensity and soon went out completely.
The pastor then got up and left without a word being exchanged. The man was back in church on the following Sunday.
I believe the message of that story goes much deeper than church attendance. The writer of Hebrews wrote that we need to stimulate and encourage one another to love and good deeds so that our fire remains hot and our witness strong.
Soooo, my young comma ceros, Keep in mind when you drive from the parking lot of the church, or out your driveway, you are entering the mission field. Be careful out there – Satan will do all in his power to extinguish your coals.
Blessing
Gramps
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