Nicole Dotson

 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

We discussed “Refrigerator Friends” at church a while back. You know those friends—the ones who go into your fridge without asking and eat your favorite food! They’re also the friends who will throw out the expired & rotten things.

These friends are the ones who will honestly tell us when something in our lives is off—or “rotten”—too. It’s worth reflecting on—do I have friends like this? 

Hebrews 10:24-25 shows us what this kind of Biblical friendship looks like. These friends spur one another on toward love and good deeds, they maintain fellowship with other believers, and they encourage one another.

So, how do we “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”? In this verse, spur refers to a kind of provocation—like a loving jab, or nudge, that stirs someone to action. Just like a horse sometimes needs a nudge to keep moving forward, we may need to lovingly prompt one another to take action from time to time.

Let’s be honest—sometimes we all need a wake-up call. It can come in the form of a loving nudge from a trusted friend in Christ when we’ve strayed from God’s will or fallen out of alignment with His Word. We need friends who are willing to say, “This isn’t who God has called you to be.” Friends who spur us on to look more like Jesus.

We need those friends—and we must also be willing to be that friend.

Flattery will not bring us closer to Christ, but the truth spoken in love will.

Scripture reinforces this. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.”  (See Eph. 4:15). We’re also reminded that, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”  (See Prov. 27:6) In Psalm 141:5, David says that a rebuke from a righteous person is actually a kindness, like oil on his head.

We don’t always have to wear spurs, though. Most of the time, what we need is encouragement as we walk faithfully—so we must not forget to give it. Hebrews 3:12-13 reminds us to “encourage one another daily…”. We can easily get discouraged on our own. That’s why we need those friends who will both encourage us—and nudge us—when we need it.

• Who can I encourage today?
• Am I willing to be a friend who speaks truth in love?
• Do I receive correction from a faithful friend as a kindness—or do I resist it?

Father, You are my faithful Encourager. Your Word is the light for my path, and Your Spirit whispers truth to my soul.  Thank you for the gift of friends and fellowship.  Every good and perfect gift comes from You! Help me to be an encouraging friend—Holy Spirit, grant me the words to say and the boldness to speak them when I need to offer truth and encouragement to my friends. Give me friends who will speak truth to me with boldness, and grant me a willing heart to listen and grow closer to You. Thank You for being my faithful Friend!

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Blessings!

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

~Nicole

(Updated post—originally posted on 3.11.2015)