Pressing On - Day 4
So, let’s say you have been saved—you haven’t resisted—and you have the beginning of Godly wisdom and you are beginning to see the real meaning of love, the way God means it to be understood. Not sex, not the kinds of things you may have been raised to believe were “love,” but Jesus’s love—the way He walked it out all of his life here on Earth. Now what?
Scripture exists to help us seek out who to trust, with the knowledge that God and His Son Jesus are ALWAYS trustworthy and present in our hearts.
Back in the day, I used to work with families of people that were preparing to get out of prison after various amounts of time and for different offenses. The most common thing I would get asked was, “what can I/we do to show them love and support right out of the gate?”. Always, my answer would be, “no matter where they are, or how far you have to go to get them—pick them up in person at the gate.”
Many times, the last person the arrested one saw (besides the police) when they got arrested is the first person they see when you get off the bus when they get out (if they go back to the same neighborhood). “Love never fails” means family takes up for one another no matter how hard the going gets.
Not just blood family, but our family in Jesus Christ. They have to find those believers in Him while they’re inside. Get with a Chaplain. Get to Church. Then be the Church—put the words to work—it will change them. And it will change you. Time for a loved one inside prison walls can mean a different kind of prison for those left to deal with life on the outside.
It doesn’t matter what the family crisis is. Incarceration, addiction, recovery, divorce, child-rearing issues, whatever it is, God’s people are here to be THE CHURCH. Church is not merely a building in which to gather for worship on specified days! We were created for that reason, 24/7/365!
Godly people around us in any kind of difficulty, make matters easier to deal with. The Word of God was intended for this reason: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
Prayer: Lord, help me walk with you in peace, and stay in Your Word, which is True like You. Help me to avoid the traps of those whom the Enemy uses to harm me, and to pray for them as You defend me. Help me to be Your church. In Your Most Powerful Name, Jesus. Amen.
