I have been studying the book of Hebrews this past year. I am about two thirds of the way through this amazing book of the Bible. In recent weeks I have come upon a verse that I decided would be a verse of purpose for me in the coming year.
“In response to all he has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good.” Hebrews 10:24. (TLB)
I like the way this verse is worded, and it seems to go hand in hand with what Jesus told us in Matthew.
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find you are obeying all the others.” Matthew 22:37-40 (TLB)
Two members of my family are a good example of fulfilling the commandments and purpose expressed in these verses. In towns in Panama, Nicaragua and Peru there are now beautiful and structurally sound churches for worshipping God due to their commitment to doing good and using their strengths and resources to further God’s Kingdom. The churches they build stand in the place of lean-tos and sheds or no building at all. When the new church buildings are complete there is room for up to three hundred people. Congregations of 28 have grown to 200 or more people praising and worshipping God. There is room in the churches for the congregation to grow, lives are changed, people are saved. Children grow up worshipping God in a structure that is sound and secure. I can’t help but add an “Amen” and “Praise God.”
I might not be able to build churches, but I can use the resources I have to build good things in the lives of those my life touches. Every day usually brings an opportunity of some kind to us all. Whether it is a large thing, a small thing, a public work, or a work done in secret, all of us have the opportunity to fulfill the purpose in Hebrews 10:24. I am committed to “doing good” in the New Year of 2013.
Here are a few more pictures of the new churches going up and their congregations. God bless us all in this New Year.
