Slideshow image

Scripture for the day: Hebrews 10:22-25 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Thought for the day: Wow! We can't begin to scratch the surface of all the Lord has for us in these few verses of scripture.  Let us draw near to God; let us hold fast to our hope.  He who promised so much to us is faithful.  We could spend almost endless hours exploring the depths of meaning in these few words.  We could share countless examples of what a difference it has made in our lives to be able to draw near to the throne of grace without fear of the just and merciful God who sits there.  We could recite testimonies without number concerning the faithfulness of the Lord as we've humbled ourselves before Him and held fast to the hope we find in His faithfulness.
     But let's take a look at what is supposed to be the results of such a close relationship with the Lord.  Our time with Him, our faith in Him, our "full assurance of faith," should be cause for us to "consider one another," how we may lift up, encourage and spur one another on to even greater heights of glory; how we might help one another rise to a new level of faith in the One who has called us and given us a part in His kingdom.
     There's nothing like a spot of encouragement to lift a person's spirits and spur them on to even greater works.  I picked up the following story that I think might help illustrate the apostle Paul's point very well.  He almost killed somebody, but one minute changed his life. 
     During his college years, a man named Rogers spent a summer in an Idaho logging camp. When the superintendent had to leave for a few days, he put Rogers in charge. 
     "What if the men refuse to follow my orders?" Rogers asked. He thought of Tony, an im-migrant worker who grumbled and growled all day, giving the other men a hard time. 
     "Fire them," the superintendent said. Then, as if reading Rogers' mind, he added, "I suppose you think you are going to fire Tony if you get the chance. I'd feel badly about that. I have been logging for 40 years. Tony is the most reliable worker I've ever had. I know he is a grouch and that he hates everybody and everything. But he comes in first and leaves last. There has not been an accident for eight years on the hill where he works." 
     Rogers took over the next day. He went to Tony and spoke to him. "Tony, do you know I'm in charge here today?" Tony grunted. "I was going to fire you the first time we tangled, but I want you to know I'm not," he told Tony, adding what the superintendent had said. 
     When he finished, Tony dropped the shovelful of sand he had held and tears streamed down his face. "Why he no tell me dat eight years ago?" 
     That day Tony worked harder than ever before -- and he smiled! He later said to Rogers, "I told Maria you first foreman in deese country who ever say, 'Good work, Tony,' and it make Maria feel like Christmas." 
     Rogers went back to school after that summer. Twelve years later he met Tony again. He was superintendent for railroad construction for one of the largest logging companies in the West. Rogers asked him how he came to California and happened to have such success.  Tony replied, "If it not be for the one minute you talk to me back in Idaho, I keel somebody someday. One minute, she change my whole life." *
     Effective managers know the importance of taking a moment to point out what a worker is doing well. But what a difference a minute of affirmation can make in any relationship! One minute. Have you got one minute to thank someone? A minute to tell someone what you sincerely like or appreciate about him or her? A minute to elaborate on something he or she did well? One minute. It can make a difference for a lifetime.
     Have you got time today to tell someone they're significant because the Lord God made them and He doesn't make junk?  How long will it take you, and how badly will it destroy your schedule (if you have such a thing) to encourage someone who seems down right now?  What difference might you make in someone's future, and the future of those with whom they may come in contact, if you were to take a few moments today to share the love of the Lord with them and let them know how special He thinks they are?
Now go take on your world.  -  Bill
* A story by Sherman Rogers