Devotionals

Putting It Into Practice
Is there someone in my church who is hurting?
What could I do? Would a kind word, a visit, or
an encouraging card from me be helpful?

What concerns one child of God concerns the whole family of God.

Like an injured child, hurting people need protection.
Let's make sure they get it from the church.

1 John 3:10-20

¹⁰In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

¹¹For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

¹²Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

¹³Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

¹⁵Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

¹⁷But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

¹⁸My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

¹⁹And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

²⁰For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

I will never forget the time when our lovebird was attacked by a strayed cat. strayed cat can be found anywhere in our place. It was around 3AM in the morning when my mom heard something came down from the roof and suddenly our lovebird was crying in pain. My mom knocked us on our door and told us to check. So we got up and checked.. It seems that he was ok.. but when we double checked.. He had a cut around his kneck. I was in pain too - I think I can feel how hurt he was.. so have to place his cage inside our room just to make sure that the cat won't come back and hurt him again..

We checked on the internet how to take care of a hurt lovebird.. I was worried when I read about an article about it living for a maximum of 24hours. We can't afford bringing him in a vet.. so we had him medicated with human drugs. every morning I would spray antibiotic on his wound and put the same in his water.. he barely eats at all.. everytime I checked on him, he was weak everyday.. days past, weeks past... I am greatful that he survived. I took care of him for almost a month, I have alotted time for him after a month he regained his strength and finally he was fine now!

My experience reminds me of how we should protect the people in our churches who have been damaged by life. John told us to love one another (1 Jn. 3:14,17-18). In fact, this is an important way we demonstrate that we belong to the Lord (v.19). If we sense the presence of people who need our love and care, we can't just ignore them and risk losing them. If we don't protect them with Christian love, the next time they get hurt they may turn elsewhere for help.

The Family Begins in a Commitment of Love

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31 AMP

If you were to hold a lump of dark green clay in one hand, and a lump of light green clay in the other, you could clearly identify the two shades of color. However if you were to mold the two lumps together, kneading them thoroughly until they were truly blended, you would see just one lump green clay... at least at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you could see the distinct and separate lines of dark and light green clay, yet it would be virtually impossible to separate the clay intow two pure colors again.

That is an image of what it means for a husband and wife to become "one flesh" -- love binds the couple together, especially as they knead out some of their differences and develop a life of mutual goals, activities, and relationship.

A grandma once told her young granddaughter that Jim and June were coming for a visit. With eager anticipation, they baked a special treats and cleaned the house thoroughly in expectation of their overnight stay. With wide-eyed wonder the little girl exclaimed upon their arrival, "Nanna, there are two people. Someone came with Jim-and-June!" When the name of one is so readily associated with the other... the clay truly has been blended.