Thought of the Day !!

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.  Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.  Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.  Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

                                    Hebrews 13:1-3 (NLT)

The first sentence here could be said to be the theme of these three verses.  "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."  

Each Sunday we have a time during the service when we lift up people's names to be prayed for.  Most of these are those dear to us.  But sometimes we get general requests for groups of people like those serving in the military or those Christians being persecuted in the Middle East.  I believe it is good to lift up people we don't even know that are going through difficulties.  It shows that we are thinking about people other than ourselves and those closest to us.  Please don't get me wrong.  God wants us to pray for both ourselves and our families.  But this shows that our love goes beyond that.

Do you know someone who is in prison?  If you don't, can you at least imagine what it would be like to be there without the freedom to come and go as you please?  Can you imagine those who have made mistakes and are now sorry for them who might be afraid of the meaner, stronger inmates who might bully them?  Whether you know someone or not, we all have some idea of what it might be like and definitely hope we never find out first hand.  But how about praying for someone in prison that you know or someone in general?  How about trying to put yourself in their shoes?  Assume you messed up big time.  Assume you are now paying the consequences.  And pray for them as you would for yourself.

The same goes with anyone who is being mistreated, persecuted, unfairly judged, racially profiled, etc.  Put yourself in their place and imagine how you would like to be prayed for.  We do this not because we need to learn some great lesson.  We do this because of that first sentence I mentioned earlier.  "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters."  In praying for those who are hurting, either unfairly or as a punishment for their own wrongdoing, we show genuine love.  And who knows?  Maybe it will be your prayers that help someone come to Jesus.

In the love of Christ,

greg