And yes, his little disposition was just a little fussier at
times, even though I suspect from the stories I have heard about teething, we
got off easy! But, let us be reminded that was only one tooth and there are 31
more to go! Ha, ha, ha, ha!
Truthfully, I am watching the poor little guy like a hawk
for signs of normal development just like all parents do, I'm sure. (He and his
mom, my niece, live with us.) Every month I look on line at what he should be
doing now, whether it is eating baby food, rolling over, sitting up, etc., etc.
And his precious nurse practitioner probably wishes she were not in the Sunday
School class I attend!
I share all of that with you this morning because I wonder
if we have this kind of excitement about new believers as they begin to
develop. I seriously question these days if we in the body of Christ truly care
about each other enough to look for signs of normal development in each other. And
if we do see something that just isn't right, do we care enough to say
something, or do we use the traditional Christian cop out of "Well, I
don't want to be judgmental." I'm not talking about judging; I'm talking about loving each other enough
to let someone be mad or angry with you for loving them enough to speak truth
over them.
Are you getting this? We wouldn't dare let our little ones
go on developing abnormally if we have a clue something is wrong and dangerous
to their development. We wouldn't let them develop wrongly or die if we could do
ANYTHING about it. But, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are
developing wrongly and living as though they were spiritually dead, and we
never blink an eye.
Can I encourage you to look to the left and right and ask
yourself this question: Are my brothers and sisters in Christ developing
normally? Are they growing as a believer? If not, can you encourage them in
anything? Are you growing? If not, do you know who to go to for encouragement
on the issue?
Jesus wants us to share the Good News of the Gospel so that
man might be saved. He also wants us to be followers of His ways and truths. It
is not an either/or choice.
I like this quote from Draper's Book of Quotations for the
Christian World: Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.
Jesus however says it best in Luke 9:23-25, 23 And he said to all, “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me. 24 For whoever would
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save
it. 25 For what does it profit a
man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Only
when we are growing in our walk with the LORD according to His Word and Spirit
will we be able to recognize when a brother or sister in Christ is in trouble! If
you are a new believer, please find someone to walk beside you in discipleship.
If you are a more seasoned believer, then please disciple someone, and if you
are an older believer who has never been discipled, then please find someone to
disciple you. Seriously, it is time for the body of Christ to grow up!
Please
be in prayer as we are trying to work out details for the Belize trip in April.
We need your prayers regarding God's best location for us to do the retreat in
Belize. We already have the team coming together, several missionary women
already sponsored, a contact person, etc. We just need God's direction on the
perfect place to house the women.
Love
you all so much,
His,
Vickie
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