Observation: In light of Jesus as the great high priest, whose sacrifice has given us access to salvation, we are to meet together within the context of our unwavering faith. In that, our interactions should "provoke" one another to two motivations ... to love others, and to perform good deeds.
Application: This is, of course, our current challenge in the church. We have so many activities that are designed to "provoke" each other into action, and almost none of them are love and good deeds. Maybe "good deeds" are a motivation, but quite often love is nowhere on the list of objectives of any believer who is ... debating vaccination status, arguing over service practices, criticizing voting patterns, debating public policy, or berating school practices.
Every conversation that declares a "right" from a "wrong" creates an unloving division. As almost every apostle would say - including the writer of Hebrews - brothers and sisters, this cannot be.
As it is up to me, from this day forward I will consider all these divisive conversations in the church within only one context, and that is the question of how we can provoke one another to love and good deeds. Argument over public issues has no place in that formula.
Prayer: Lord, may your Spirit change the hearts of many within my church, and within all churches, so that they disengage from discussions intended to provide argument, conflict, and division. May we only provoke love. Amen.
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