For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
Sometimes we forget that humanity is one. We know how badly we lose when the human race turns selfish and violent against itself. We all win when everybody recognizes the good in each other, lifts each other up, and are at peace together. If life is that good, it would be heaven on earth.
Humanity is one. God loves every single one of us, and has redeemed every single person born and to be born by His Death and Resurrection. Inside every person is an opportunity to love and serve, just as He would love and serve each of us.
There’s a story about a man “of wasteful love.” He lives life moment by moment, breathing life into every situation. I guess you could say he’s reckless, doing things like waking a homeless man to share lunch with him. His life is beautiful yet unsettling at the same time. I mean, would you see a homeless person, go buy lunch for him, and then wake him up to eat together? The author asks him, “What gave you your view of things?”
“I had a baby sister I was forced to care for a lot of the time. She eventually drew me out of myself, but I’ll tell you it must have been grace that took me from resentment to something else. [W]hen you come out of yourself and get into another’s world you find everything looks totally different. The rest of my life just flowed from caring for someone else.”
The spirit of encouragement is that we live our life drawn out of ourselves. We give our lives fully to others. And note that this isn’t the sacrifice of oneself; God is not calling us to give away our life or our dignity. In living out for others, we live as Christ lives, “wasting” our time and our resources being with other people, helping them get closer to Jesus through accompaniment, nourishment, and care. If we’re uncomfortable, it may be a call to connect with Jesus and really try to see who He is calling us to live for.
Challenge one another to grow closer to Christ, to grow in holiness even when it places you entirely out of your comfort zone. You might just find Christ’s presence and grace flowing from your own existence.
Though Christmas day is past. We continued to encourage you to continue visiting Christmas.fll.cc,as a source of inspiration and spiritual nourishment. It can even be used to inform your New Year’s resolution!