How to Make a Churchy Cow Go Mad

How should we spur one another on?

It says “consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.”  Ouch really.  Poke someone with a spur.  That doesn’t seem Christian does it. Well the Word is the Word.

On Any Sunday

Three important points are made in this scripture: consider, spur, and love and good deeds.  Consider means to think about, or plan.  We need to think about and plan and act.

Devise a plan to spur others on. Spurring and goading are little unpleasant.  Think of a horse and a cowboy giving him the spur.  It doesn’t hurt but it is motivating.  Think of a goad, a long pointy stick that is used to move cattle.  You jab the animal in the rear to move it in the right direction.  Again this is unpleasant but if done right it is futile to kick against. 

This is all done to urge others on to love and good deeds.  Love and good deeds that’s obvious right?  You know make a lot of money to give away or use your summer and Christmas break to help your neighbors.  Plan a summer camp for poor kids.  Give soccer clinics to children in poor neighborhoods. Forget about retirement and work half-time to make more money for service or sell your big house and move to a poor barrio to serve.  

Move together with another family to gain time and money for service.  Live in a travel-trailer on your friend’s property.  Get educated as a lawyer to help under-represented lawbreakers.  Bring home convicts, grab up a homeless person…use your loving imagination to spend your life’s energy on others.  It only hurts if you think about it; so don’t.  But when you do it you’ll share in Christ’s joy.

Your job is to act out a specific regular plan to reach out to people to do whatever they need.  Then you’ll form a scheme to encourage others to do the same.

My specific plan is to engage the poor through various programs that already exist.  You know the Salvation Army or feeding programs.  Then get to know the people and engage in their struggle on their behalf.  I’ll do whatever they need to progress.  I’m blogging and developing a network of friends that will obey the command to love and I will encourage them. I’ll give ideas and assistance.  I goad the Christians who I interact with along with those in my church.  I will spend as little as I can on me and more on others.  I must be attentive to the needs of those in my fellowship also.

What will you do?  How will you promote love and good works in your own life.  What is your scheme to spur this on in the life others? 

Note:  People do not like to be goaded, so you might not get a pleasant response.  I herd cattle and never saw a cow turn around and give me a smile for poking it with a goad.  So here comes the ridicule and persecution you thought didn’t exist in the American church.  This is another topic for a blog huh?