ONE-ANOTHERING

 
“Let us think of ways to MOTIVATE ONE ANOTHER
to outbursts of love and good works”
(Hebrews 10:24 NLT).

Family life is togetherness. Church life is togetherness. It is also one-anothering.
 
As the curve of the current virus is flattening and our president seeks to get the nation’s economy fueled again, we should also see churches opening. In fact, President Trump gave a proclamation on Friday 22nd May that “Church is Essential” and encouraged churches to reopen Sunday 24th. Sadly, many churches are still closed. They still seem to be paralyzed with fear and yet the current statistics state that the percentage of deaths from this virus are only 0.03% of the population. There is nothing to fear so why are Christians continuing to hide in their homes?
 
This last week hundreds of doctors wrote to President Trump pleading with him to end the coronavirus shutdown and stating it was a “mass casualty incident.” Suicide hotlines have increased 600%. Liquor sales have increased 300 – 600%. God never intended us to hide away in our homes. He knows we need each other. We need each other in our families. We need the extended fellowship of families in the church.
 
Zoom and online meetings are great. They reach out to many people. But they are not the LIFE of the church. We cannot really do church life without being with one another. God knew that we would need to be reminded about this. He is so concerned about our being built up together that He has given us 31 commands to do to one another. That’s one for every day of the month!
 
Many of the following you need to do in person when you meet together.
 
1.    ACCEPT one another (Romans 15:7 HCSB).
2.    BEAR one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2 and Colossians 3;13). The Amplified Version states: “Bearing graciously with one another.”
3.    BLESS one another (Matthew 5:44 and 1 Peter 3:9).
4.    CARE for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25).
5.    COMFORT one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
6.    Have COMPASSION on one another (1 Peter 3:8).
7.    CONFESS YOUR FAULTS one to another (James 5:16).
8.    CONSIDER one another (Hebrews 10:24 NKJV).
9.    ENCOURAGE one another (Hebrews 3:13 and 10:24).
10.  EDIFY one another (Romans 14:19; 15:1-3; 2 Corinthians 12:19; and 1 Thessalonians 5:11).
11.  ESTEEM AND DELIGHT in one another (Psalm 16:2-3 and Philippians 2:3).
12.  FELLOWSHIP with one another (Malachi 3:16 and 1 John 1:7).
13.  FORBEAR with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:13).
14.  FORGIVE one another (Matthew 6:14, 15; 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 3:13). The Amplified Version states: “Willingly forgiving each other.”
15.  Live in HARMONY with one another (Romans 15:5 TLB and RSV).
16.  HELP one another with your gifts and abilities (1 Peter 4:10 (GNB) and Hebrews 10:24).
17.  HONOR and PREFER one another (Romans 12:10 and Philippians 2:3, 4).
18.  Show HUMILITY to one another (Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; and 1 Peter 3:8 (all GNB).
19.  Practice HOSPITALITY to one another (Acts 2:41-47; Romans 12:13; and 1 Peter 4:9).
20.  Be KIND to one another (Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 3:12).
21.  LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER’S INTERESTS, not just your own (Philippians 2:4 (GNB) and 1 Corinthians 10:24.
22.  LOVE one another (John 13:34; 15:12; 17:26; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8; 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; and 2 John 1:5.
23.  Have PEACE with one another (Mark 9:50).
24.  PRAY for one another (1 Samuel 12:23; Romans 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; and James 5:16).
25.  SERVE one another (Matthew 20:26-28; Galatians 5:13; and 1 Peter 4:10). Wash one another’s feet which is symbolic of serving one another, no matter how servile the task (John 13:14-17).
26.  SING to one another (Ephesians 5:19).
27.  STIR UP one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24 AMPC, ESV, Moffat, RSV).
28.  SUBMIT to one another (Ephesians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5:5).
29.  TEACH AND ADMONISH one another (Romans 15:14 and Colossians 3:16).
30.  Be TENDERHEARTED to one another (Ephesians 4:32).
31.  THINK MORE HIGHLY of one another than you do of yourselves (Philippians 2:3 AMP).
 
Would you like to be stirred up even more by some other translations of Hebrews 10:24?
 
“STIMULATE one another to love and good deeds.” (Beck, MLB, NASB, TBV, and Williams).
 
“LET US OUTDO each other in being helpful and kind to each other.” (TLB).
          
“SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON toward love and good deeds.” (CJB and NET).
           
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
 
PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Thank You for showing us how You want me to serve my family and others around me. Please help me to think of others rather than always thinking of myself. Please help me to look out for the interests of others, not just my own. Help me to live beyond myself, laying down my life, and serving others. Amen.”
 
AFFIRMATION:

Yes, others, Lord, yes, others, Let this my motto be; Help me to live for others, That I may live like Thee.
~ Charles D. Meigs

THE HATED WORD

"Let this mind be in your, which was also in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 2:5).

We have a word in our vocabulary that is not popular today. It is either hated, avoided, or scoffed at. I think you've guessed. It is the word submission. Yet it is a Bible word. So why is so hated?

I think it is because it cuts across our fleshly nature. It is the opposite to our self-nature. It is also one of the most powerful attitudes Jesus revealed in His life. The devil has the opposite nature to Jesus. He was cast out of heaven because of his pride and independence and he continues to tempt us with his same attitude.

Let's looks at the attitude of Jesus. When He sweat drops of blood as he faced death to take the sin of the world upon Him, He still submitted to His Father's will crying out: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). And please read Philippians 2:5-8 where the Bible exhorts us to have the same submissive attitude as Jesus when He submitted to the cross. Verse 5 says: "Let this mind (attitude) be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

Jesus said in John 5:30: "I week not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

Jesus confessed again in  6:38: "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

What does this word submission mean? The Greek word is "hupotasso" and is a combination of two words: "hupo" - under "tasso" - to arrange in an orderly manner, to assign to a certain position.

Why does God want the wife to come under the husband? For her blessing. For her protection. For her covering. For her provision. Isn't this a blessing?

Can I show you some other Scriptures where the Greek word hupo is used?

When Jesus looked out of Jerusalem, He cried: "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under (hupo) her wings, and ye would not" (Matthew 23:37). Is it a bad thing for a hen to gather her chickens under her wings? No, it is a beautiful thing. Isn't a beautiful thing to be protected under our husbands?

Do you notice that the citizens of Jerusalem did not want to be gathered? They didn't want to come under God's protection, just like some wives do not want to come under their husband's covering.

Jesus talked about the little mustard seed that grows up to be a big tree "so that the fowls of the air may lodge under (hupo) the shadow of it" (Mark 4:32). Another lovely picture of protection.

1 Corinthians 10:1, 2 tells us how God protected the Israelites in the wilderness "under (hupo) the cloud." God gave them a cloud by day to protect them from the heat and a cloud (a pillar of fire) by night to keep them warm. The testimony of God's protection and covering.

The Bible speaks of the mystery of marriage which is to reveal the relationship between Christ and the church. Christ as the Head--covering, protecting, and leading His people as they submit to Him.

It is not always easy to submit. It is not for the immature, but the mature. It is three-year-old behavior to demand our own way. It takes maturity to submit.

One caution. We submit to our husbands "as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:3). Wives should not submit to anything that is contrary to God's Word. Jesus' submission was unto His Father.

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"Dear Jesus, please come and fill my life. I want Your divine life to
overcome my fleshly nature. You lived in the anointing of authority because You were totally submitted to the Father. Help me to have this same attitude as I live my daily life. Amen."

CONFIRMATION:

Not my will but God's will.

GUARD YOUR TREASURES

"Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,
and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD,
and the treasures of the king's house;
he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold
which Solomon had made" (2 Chronicles 12:9).

You have many treasures in your home, treasures you must protect and not let anyone take from you.

The above Scripture tells us how the King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and "took away the treasures of the house of the LORD." King Rehoboam, the king of Jerusalem was not on guard. He allowed the treasures of God's house and his house to be taken away. These were not little treasures. They were treasures of gold. Everything in the house of God was made of pure gold. Even the shields were made of gold.

We must also guard that we do not allow our treasures of gold to be taken away. This is what the enemy wants to do. He comes to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10). He comes to rob us of all that God wants us to enjoy.

DON'T BE CONTENT WITH SECOND BEST

When we let him rob us, we end up with second best. The King of Egypt took the GLORIOUS shields of gold. So WHAT DID Rehoboam do? "Instead he made shields of brass" (2 Chronicles 12:10). Counterfeit! Second best!

Which do you want? Gold or brass?

GUARD YOUR MARRIAGE

God is the author of marriage. Because it is God's plan, the devil wants to destroy it. Do not let him steal your marriage. Keep a soft and forgiving heart. Do not let hardness take hold of your heart. Hardness leads to divorce (Matthew 19:8). Instead, build your marriage. Every day, find some way to make your marriage lovelier and stronger. Go after the gold. Which would you rather have? A marriage of gold, or second best, brass? You decide which you want.

GUARD YOUR CHILDREN

Do not allow the enemy to rob and deceive them with lies and deception. Do not give them away to the public education system to drill their humanistic and alternative propaganda into their brains.

Micah 2:9 says: "The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away their glory forever." The Amplified Version translates this verse: "From her children you take away my splendor and blessing forever (by putting them among pagans, away from Me)." God says that the glory of children is for them to be raised in the home.

GUARD YOUR FERTILITY

Our fertility is a very precious gift from God. And it does not last forever. It is only for a window of time in the seasons of our whole life. We cannot determine when we will have children. It is ultimately in God's hands. To walk in God's perfect plan for our lives, we should yield our wombs to God, for His glory. He will give the children He has planned from the foundation of the world.

If you are having problems conceiving, ask your husband to lay his hands upon your womb and pray over you every day. Make a specific time every day. Your husband is your covering and God will hear his cries for you.

GUARD YOUR FAMILY LIFE

Family life is God's plan from the beginning of creation. It is the way He planned for us to live in their world. He has no other plan. He specifically states that He wants the solitary to live in families. It is the healthiest way to live. But because It is God's plan, the devil hates it. We know he is bent on destroying family life.

He won't always tempt you with blatant, sinful things to destroy your family, He uses little things. He subtly deceives you. Watch for his deceptions. Watch that your family does not become fragmented with everyone constantly going their various ways. This is the testimony of most families today, but it is not God's way.

He wants us to build our families. To build relationships. To encourage interaction and family togetherness. Determine to sit together for your family meals, especially for your evening. Don't only eat food at your table. Feed the soul and encourage family discussion and participation. And feed the spirit. Never leave the table without reading God's living Word and praying together. Guard this precious time. Don't give it away.

"Drive your pegs deep" (Isaiah 54:2). Guard your treasures, dear mothers. Don't let them filter through your fingers. It can happen so easily. You must PURPOSEFULLY, DELIBERATELY, and INTENTIONALLY build into your marriage and family life. It doesn't just happen. You must make it happen.

Constantly think and dream of how you are going to build your home and family. That's what a builder does. He dreams. He gets a vision. And then he acts and builds according to the plan.

Be blessed,

Nancy Campbell

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, I thank You for filling my home with treasures, treasures that are eternal and will last forever. Please help me to guard my treasures and to pour my time and effort into what is lasting rather than the temporal things of this world. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am going to preserve the golden treasures God has given me. I will not be satisfied with brass.

THE HOPE ATTITUDE
Part 3

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer"
(Romans 12:12).

Forgive me ladies, I had originally written this post as Part 2 but sent Part 3 to you last week as Part 2 by mistake. However, it doesn't matter really what order they come in. So here's some more thoughts about hope today. We have been learning that our hope is a living hope and that we must daily feed it to keep it alive and growing. Here's another adjective about hope:

IT IS A REJOICING HOPE

We not only have hope but we rejoice in hope. In good times or bad-or even rotten times, we keep smiling. We continue rejoicing. We speak good things. Words of fear do not come out of our mouths! Can I hear an Amen?
        
Attitudes are contagious. When people speak words of fear it affects everyone around them. But when we rejoice and speak positive words, they affect everyone around us for good. Even during this virus, rejoice. Let your rejoicing be contagious.

We know that "death and life is in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). The Passion translation says: "Your words are so powerful that they will kill or give life." We must choose what we want to do.

So many precious people have been bound down with fear because of the fearmongering during this corona virus. It seems to me that the fear of the virus is worse than the virus. It's time we got out of fear and into hope. It's time we began spreading messages of cheer and hope. To spread words of health, positivity, and cheer brings salvation and healing. Words of fear bring death.

Praise the Lord, I believe we are moving into a time of hope., Millions have been praying against this virus, Praying that it will be abated by the end of this month or BEFORE! And God is answering prayer. It's even flattening in New York which is the epicenter of the virus. Although it is sad to hear New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo state: "Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus." Obviously, he is ignorant of the millions of intercessors across this country. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Look what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar when he took the glory to himself instead of giving it to God (Daniel 4:30-33).

It was most interesting to hear on the Laura Ingraham Show last night that in California there have been 780 deaths from the virus (and mostly deaths are from those who also have other related issues, sometimes two or three). It seems a huge number but that is in a population of nearly 40 million which works out to only .002 percent, much less than one percent. This is far less than most other diseases.

Maybe you personally know of people who have the virus, or may have died, but unbelievably, although I know many people, not only around where I live, but across the nation and the world, I personally don't know of one person who has this virus. Isn't that amazing in a so-called pandemic?

Romans 12:12 tells us to "REJOICE in hope." This same Scripture reminds us to "endure in suffering." The New English Translation says: "Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer." We keep hoping in the midst of stress and tribulation.

Romans 15:13 reminds us that when the God of hope dwells in us that He fills us with "ALL JOY AND PEACE in believing."

Did you get that? ALL joy! Not half joy and half fear, but ALL JOY. Not a little peace, but ALL PEACE. The Passion translation says: "Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him."

Romans 14:17 says: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and JOY in the Holy Ghost."

May you live in the overwhelming blessings of joy and hope today,

PRAYER:

"Dear Father, We thank you that you are Jehovah Rapha, the One who says, 'I am the LORD that healeth thee.' We thank You for Your healing power. We thank You that You are our Savior, our Deliverer, our Hope, and our Fortress. We trust in You and we ask You to deliver us as a nation, even though we are not worthy. We have sinned. Abortion, the murder of precious lives continues every day. We live in a nation where homosexuality is law abiding. How can it be? We don't deserve Your mercy with such evil all around us. But we pray that You will continue to hear the cry of Your people across this nation and that You will bring healing to our land and other nations. We pray that You will bring repentance and a great sweeping move of your Holy Spirit that will draw people back to you and Your righteous and holy ways. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am speaking words of cheer, hope, life, and healing to my family and everyone I meet. I will not allow a negative word to come from my mouth!