“Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love…. Greet one another with a holy kiss….The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” (1 Corinthians 16: 13,20,23)
This morning we read the last chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth and his closing words of encouragement to the church. I read his words this morning and I apply them to The Church today. As I read them I wonder how much “staying Alert” is part of the daily life of the average church goer today as they walk out their door to begin another week. To walk out your door “staying alert” you first have to know, understand, recognize, and watchful of the spiritual warfare and battle you are walking out into. You have to care enough to “be alert” that you have prepared yourself by intentionally spending time reading Scriptures, in discerning prayer, claiming the presence of the Holy Spirit in you, and time spent in gatherings with other Christians equipping, strengthening, and encouraging yourself and others so you will be prepared and willing to enter into and embrace the darkness, (which is a metaphor for pain) you are alert to see and encounter.
It is only in such preparations that you can have any chance to “stand firm in the faith.” It is only in such preparations that you will have the and “show courage” to stand up against any evil, oppression, injustice, hate and have the courage to step out and be the extraordinary love and grace that is required. It is only in such preparations before you step out your door, (like the required time spent in a gym to become physically strong) that you can “be strong” spiritually and in in your faith. It is only with such preparation that you can do everything, not some things, not occasionally, but everything you do “be done in love.”
Paul encourages us today in the church with these same words, “Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.” Because the situations we see and will encounter in the world if we are “alert” to what is going on around us desperately needs a church that not only sees what’s going on and comments on it in social media posts and in pews, but is prepared and willing to enter into these situations and stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong, and be the presence of the sacrificial love, hope, and grace of their Lord Jesus Christ whom they claim to follow.
My family, I pray you will meditate on and take to heart Paul’s words of encouragement before you walk out your door and begin a new week, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections or experiences in “saying Alert” in the comment box below.
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