Abraham Lincoln was and forever will be one of the most captivating characters in History. From his height to his beard, from his hat to his story, our 16th President of the United States is a man that Americans cherish. The man had morals and vision. With these attributes, he administered the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves during the war. Two years later, he would push through the House and the Senate the 13th Amendment that completely banned slavery in this nation once and for all. Against much opposition, Lincoln pushed freedom and morality.
Yet before Lincoln could push the nation to do what was right, he too had to be pushed. Yes, he despised slavery very much, but he was not ready to push abolition. To be an “Abolitionist” was to be a radical, Lincoln did not consider himself a radical. Lincoln had to be pushed by men with abolitionist views in order to understand the urgency. Such men as Frederick Douglass who is quoted as saying, “A blind man can see where the president’s heart is”, indicating that the President knew what was right, just was not ready to act. Before he became a man with a conviction, he had to be pushed by those that saw his true potential.
Hebrews 10:24-25a says, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together”. This word “Stimulate” literally means to Provoke or Irritate (In a loving manner, of course). Christians need to be looking out for brethren that may be just shy of the mark. Their heart is good, and their intentions are good; and yet they are not reaching their full potential. They need to be pushed.
There are three areas in which the Hebrew writer encourages us to push our fellow Christians to do better in:
First, Love. Jesus commanded us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34-35). This love being an “Agape” love is a selfless and sacrificial love that we should have for the brethren. If you haven’t already noticed you soon will, but there are conflicts among brethren. Have you also noticed that we will meet together at the building during the regular hours designated for worship and study, but then we go on our merry way never thinking about and loving our brethren throughout the week? We need to push the brethren (and ourselves) to show concern for one another in our love for them throughout the week.
Second, Good Deeds. Loving is one thing, showing it is another. James tells us that faith without works is dead (2:14-20). We can tell one other all day long that we love each other, yet if we do not show it, the words are no good. When we look around and see brethren that are missing the mark, let us push them to show good deeds to one another. Let us encourage them to be hospitable, benevolent, supportive, etc.
Third, Not Forsaking the Assembly. Before I get too many of my readers upset, I cannot and will not say that “thus and thus passage says that you must make it to the building Sunday AM, PM, and Wednesday PM”. That passage is not in the Scriptures. However, when one is constantly missing out on the encouragement that one receives by being with the brethren, and when one constantly misses out on worshipping the Lord; should we not push them to do better? If the church is the Body of Christ, then it would stand to reason that the more often that Body is together, the stronger the Body is. The stronger the Body is, the more readied that Body is to combat Satan and live for the Lord.
Find a Lincoln this week. An individual(s) in your congregation that can do a great work for the Lord, yet are falling just short of the mark. When you find them, push them, stimulate them, provoke them, and irritate them (lovingly) to do better. Who are you going to push?
Morality Check 