our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Nov 27, 2018, 2:16:13 AM11/27/18

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我是否留心听好牧人的声音？112518

Bound to Encourage

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

The Steven Thompson Memorial Centipede is a cross-country meet unlike any other. Each seven-member team runs as a unit, holding a rope for the first two miles of a three-mile course. At the two-mile mark, the team drops the rope and finishes the race individually. Each person’s time is, therefore, a combination of the pace the team kept and his or her own speed.

This year, my daughter’s team opted for a strategy I had not previously seen: They put the fastest runner at the front and the slowest right behind her. She explained that their goal was for the strongest runner to be near enough to speak words of encouragement to the slowest runner.

Their plans depicted for me a passage from the book of Hebrews. The writer urges us to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (Hebrews 10:23) as we “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24). There are certainly many ways of accomplishing this, but the author highlighted one: “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (v. 25). Gathering together with other believers as we’re able is a vital aspect of the life of faith.

The race of life can feel like more than we can handle at times, and we may be tempted to drop the rope in hopelessness. As we run together, let’s offer one another the encouragement to run strong!

Jesus, thank You for the hope You offer. Thank You for never discouraging us. Help us imitate You by encouraging each other today.

Encouragement is water to the soul.

彼此勉励

又要彼此相顾，激发爱心，勉励行善。-希伯来书10章24节

说起汤普森纪念馆的蜈蚣越野赛，确实与众不同。赛程共五公里，每七人合成一个队伍，他们要共同握住一根绳子跑到三公里处。然后松开绳子，各队队员各自按自己的速度跑到终点。所以每个人的成绩，就是团队的速度加上自己跑到终点的速度。

今年，我女儿那一队运用的策略，我以前从没见过，就是让跑最快的人跑在前面，而他后头紧跟着跑得最慢的人。她说这样做的目的，是让前者能就近鼓励跑得最慢的队友。

这样的策略生动描绘出希伯来书的一段经文，作者激励我们：“要坚守我们所承认的指望，不至摇动”（10章23节），“又要彼此相顾，激发爱心，勉励行善”（24节）。当然有许多方式可以让彼此得着激励，但作者特别强调的是：“不可停止聚会，好像那些停止惯了的人，倒要彼此劝勉”（25节）。只要能力许可，就当与众信徒一同聚会，这是信仰生活中一个重要的环节。

有时，我们不免感到人生坎坷举步维艰，甚或因绝望而想放弃。我们既然同奔天路，就让我们彼此勉励，一起坚定地跑完全程！

亲爱的耶稣，感谢祢赐给我们盼望，
感谢祢一直激励我们，
今日求祢帮助我们能彼此勉励。