¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:16 (NRSV)

The passage from Hebrews was part of my sermon on Sunday. You can find the sermon podcast here if you’d like to hear the sermon in its entirety.

The sacrifice we make to do good and share our resources not only helps meet a need but also instills confidence the writer of Hebrews tell us. It points toward the One who is reliable or as Hebrews says, “the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

I love the quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said in his book Life Together that, “The Christ in our own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of our brother.”  He rightly identified that when we see, hear, and experience Christ through our sisters and brothers interacting with us our faith is strengthened. Moments of suffering can diminish our faith as we may question where God is and why we are going through the struggle. For this reason it is vital to have people in our lives that impart faith to us as they walk with us. The person of Christ we see in their lives becomes a source of strength and encouragement for us.

Never underestimate the ministry of presence. Simply being present with another person in any way that you can (in person, phone call, note, and even text) is one of the greatest gifts we can give. The poet J.D. McClatchy wrote that “Love is the quality of attention we pay to things.” Paying attention to another person. Love by serving is as straightforward as that.

Who in our lives could use some quality attention this week? Who is struggling with their faith because of circumstances in their lives? I guarantee you a call, note, or even text will go a long ways in instilling confidence that they are not forgotten by you…and most importantly…by God.