Scriptural Support
Rise and Shine for Jesus! \O/
By
Pam Iannello (my late mother)
"Scriptural Support"
Exodus 18:19-20 (KJV)
Hearken
now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be
with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward,
that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: [20] And thou shalt teach
them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they
must walk, and the work that they must do.
What
is some of the best advice you have ever been given? Whether a piece
of advice shared in passing, or hearty counsel given regularly, one's
support in the lives of others should be seriously considered. Moses
faced quite a task in having been given the responsibility for
bringing Israel out of bondage. So too, do you and I face quite a
task whenever it comes to assisting others in bringing them out of
spiritual, emotional, and physical captivity to wrong behavior. Many
women look to one another for advice - are you sure you are leading
ladies down the
right
path with your response?? Are you sure you are getting the right
counsel yourself?? In the above portion of scripture, Jethro advised
Moses how to deal properly with the various problems people would
bring to him for help. It was the business God had called Moses to
and he would need wisdom as a leader. Ladies, don't ever think
yourself too wise to be counseled! Rather than being insulted by it,
Moses received the counsel Jethro gave him and fortified himself in
the fear of the Lord. Not only should we encourage others to be
useful, we should be quick to study to be useful ourselves…
1
Thes. 4:13-18 (KJV)
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with
him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.
There
are three points above that we need to consider when it comes to our
support of others who are struggling. First of all, we are not to
sorrow as they do. In other words, we are not to adopt the same
hopeless perspective they have on their problems. For example, let's
say that your close friend calls you in despair over her marriage and
you side with her all throughout the conversation. That is the same
as sorrowing as she is sorrowing! Ladies, as Christians, we are
never to agree with others if God has condemned their viewpoint.
Sympathy and support is not enough; rather than taking a passive role
in their problem, we must
encourage them to continue in behavior that would follow the Word of
God and engage in such activities as would please the Lord. As Jethro
said to Moses, "Be thou for the people to God-ward." Show
them the way they must walk and the work they must do.
Secondly,
those coming to you for advice must be reminded even in the face of
their problems that one day they will meet the Lord. Your advice must
always be given with God's perspective in mind. Every
solution must be viewed in the light of eternity!
Bring the causes to God, as Jethro said, and shed scriptural light
on every issue. Do your solutions stand before God as adequate and in
line with His way of doing things? In combination with the third
point, you may think it callous to bring the reality of coming face
to face with the Lord into your discussion with a distraught
individual, but truth is what sets us free, amen? Ladies, we are
told by God to comfort one another with His words, not the words we
"feel" will help! Don't deaden their spirits or weaken them
further... When the time comes, will you faithfully support others as
you should - regardless of who they are in relation to you??
Hebrews
12:12-15 (KJV)
Wherefore
lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; [13] And
make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned
out of the way; but let it rather be healed. [14] Follow peace with
all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: [15]
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be
defiled;
When
we fail in following after holiness (to do things God's way), there
is no success experienced in our lives, there are no victories won.
Be very careful that you do not
support sinful behavior. It
makes a great mess of things! If your support approves of the
failure of the one you are helping to handle their problems, then you
are doing nothing more than destroying their hope in God by
reinforcing their faulty behavior. As Christian women, we are to
offer DIRECTION from the scriptures, not just some type of support
that silently stands by. Otherwise, you are representing Christ as a
helpless Savior who has no solutions to your friend's problems - and
that is not true! If you came across a motorist whose car was
stalled on the road, would you pull over just to stand by
and
support them in their situation with words like, "I know how you
feel, my car was stalled once before." Perhaps you would just
put your arm around the person and stare together at their broken
down vehicle, not saying a word? Or would you pull over to give them
a push and get the car rolling again??
Hebrews
10:24 (KJV)
And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works:
Think
about the last time a woman complained to you of the bad treatment
she was receiving at home... Did you challenge her by offering her a
Biblical course of action to take? Did you show her that there is a
possibility for change in her home - beginning
with her?? Did you point out
that though we can't alter the behavior of others, we can change
ourselves? Hence, changes in us can lead to changes in others. As
seen in the verse below, any lesser help given is unchristian!
1 Cor.
10:13 (KJV)
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
How
about you, dear lady? Could you take such advice yourself?? Has it
made a difference in your life? It is not wise for any of us to
murmur against God's commands. He has made a way of escape whenever
we are tempted to handle things in a fleshly way. Advise others to
look for the right way out and take it - obeying
God! Do not let them hang
their hat on the hook of excuses, placing their failures on the
shoulders of others. If the one you are helping is not performing as
God requires, their failure is no fault but their own. Anyone can be
delivered from their trials and troubles; anyone can prevent their
falls and recover themselves when they do fall, but not if they deny
the power and promises of God!
Psalm
145:14 (KJV)
The
Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed
down.
Finally,
much support today as given by various individuals chosen as
counselors is dead support - it's without recommendation of works
meet for repentance. Dead counseling represents a dead God! It's
distorted. To analyze problems without a Biblical solution is to be
nothing more than a spectator, a bystander. Ladies, works must
accompany our faith in the Lord. Be certain that your support always
supports the truth and that the support you are given motivates you
to do right. Otherwise, it's harmful... Be thou for the people to
God-ward!
God
Bless,
Pam
Isaiah
60:1&2
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