78: Encouragement from the Saints
Click Here to get: Encouragement from the Saints Devotional
“…to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” I Corinthians 1:2
The Scriptures call those who are in Christ Jesus, saints. While many of us don’t feel like saints, the truth of who Christ has made us, through his life, death, and resurrection stands firm. We and anyone who has lived that has called on the name of Jesus in faith to redeem them from their sins, are saints in the eyes of God.
I would like to read to you one of the devotionals I wrote entitled Encouragement from the Saints. If you would like a copy of this 7-Day Devotional then click on the link in the podcast notes.
While the foundation of our spiritual nourishment and encouragement is found in the Scriptures, God has worked in the lives of his saints through the ages to encourage others. As you go through the devotional make every effort to slow down. It is a temptation to quickly breeze through the readings, and find an application so you can move on to the next thing on your to-do list. But I believe you will benefit from lingering in the prayers, the Scriptures, and the readings from the saints. (Note: some were written a long time ago so be patient with the words and their archaic meanings)
Here we go…
Opening Prayer
Fill us with your grace, Lord Jesus Christ,
That every thought, word, and deed may be acceptable to you, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Words of Encouragement
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:34-40)
Encouraging Words from the Saints
In 1952 Mother Teresa began picking up the dying in the streets of Calcutta, India. By 1980 she and over 3,000 members of her order the Missionaries of Charity were working in 52 countries. Her teaching and life give us profound insight into what it means to follow Jesus and His mission to love others.
“I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look only at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one. As Jesus said ‘Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.’ So you begin…I begin. I picked up one person…The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if we don’t put the drop in, the ocean would be one drop less. Same thing for you. Same thing for your family. Same thing in the church where you go. Just begin. One. One. One.
At the end of our lives we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by “I was hungry and you gave me to something to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.” Hungry not only for bread but for love…naked not only for clothing but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of bricks, but homeless because of rejection.” – Mother Teresa
Scriptural Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
That’s it. A simple way to spend time with the Lord and His saints. A time to be encouraged by His Word and to see a perspective that the saints of old took on the gospel. The gospel has always been central in the history of redemption, because the gospel changes everything!
Photo by Jan Dommerholt on Unsplash