Fan or Follower 4

Hebrews 13:15-16

I appreciate all the seasons of the year – the spring flowers, the summer heat, the autumn leaves and even the snow in winter. But when the weather gets cold and the snow covers the streets and makes them slick I want to wrap myself in a blanket and hibernate until May.

But I can’t do that. I need to shovel walks to keep people safe. I need to drive my children to school. I need to go to the store. I need to go to work. I need to go visit people in the hospital. I have to sacrifice my own comfort to help myself and others. And that is an act of love – denying my own desires, even if only briefly, to help others. It’s something we all must do.

Today’s passage from Hebrews talks about sacrifice. What does the author of Hebrews encourage us to do for God? What does he encourage us to do for others? Why is this good?

I see the weather as a reminder of life in general. Sometimes life is warm and wonderful and sometimes life is cold and treacherous, driving us inside, inside our own selves. But we need to brave the elements of life. We need to face the troubles and challenges of living so that we can do good for other people and for the kingdom of God.

It is so easy to feel defeated by the turmoil of life, to feel abandoned by God, and to think that the only way to make it is to be certain we take care of ourselves. But we need to trust that God is with us even in the darkest hours and the most troubled times. Even as we worry about the future we are called to offer praises to God for all of His mercy and love.

And even as we worry about our own happiness we are called on to share what we have with others. With such sacrifices God is pleased.

By being willing to share out of our meagerness, by being willing to give even when we feel we have too little, we are giving honor to God. In such acts we are praising the Lord who has given us all good things. By offering praise to God and by sharing with others we become true followers of our Lord, dedicated, loving and trusting children of our heavenly Father.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you share with others?