ENCOURAGEMENT

Ever felt angry at or jealous of your brother or sister? Wanted to shake some sense into them? Compared yourself to them and felt you knew more than them? Thought that, as the oldest, deserved some special treatment or privilege. There is such mortal danger in comparisons (Acts 10:34, James 2:9), so much flesh longs to be satisfied in it. In thinking that of ourselves we are anything without the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). That we are justified in thinking we are better than another because we are staying the course, weathering the storms and not giving in to the lusts of the flesh, on the outside...Proverbs 14:12, Luke 11:39. We can look the part and think we are all that, but what does our heart say? The heart is where God can see and man cannot. The heart is where the mouth speaks from. Matthew 12:34, Proverbs 4:23, Psalm 44:20-21, Jeremiah 17:9

"Now his elder son was in the field and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry and would not go in. Therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering saith to his father, Lo, these many years do i serve thee, neither transgressed i at any time thy commandment and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that i might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this thy son was come which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou has killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou are ever with me and all that i have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost and is found." Matthew 15:25-32

Notice that when the elder brother refused to go in, having his pity party, the father came out to ask or beseech him to come in. But the boy would not budge, he was stuck in his jealousy. Is this not how God is with us? He knocks and knocks (Revelation 3:20, Hebrews 4:7), beckoning us to come into him, but in our own selfish lusts and desires, we cannot hear him or if we do we refuse him.

This elder brother was living by the letter of the law which is death (2 Corinthians 3:6). When everything the father had was his all the time and he could not see. He could not find the love and joy for his brother through the evil of jealousy, envy and pride. Sad.

How can we ever think that it is ok to be anything but loving and encouraging to our brothers and sisters (Ephesians 4:12, Hebrews 3:13, Romans 14:19). Does this mean overlooking sin? Of course not, we are to rebuke, reproof, admonish and teach in love 2 Timothy 3:16. That takes the effort of being in prayer and God's word daily, to hear clearly to speak into anothers life. Amen.