You inspire me. 
Your lot in life, the work you do for the Lord, and the Christlike qualities present in your character all strengthen and encourage me in my own duties. We each have a responsibility, a story, a testimony. And we all need each other.
I smile to think God made it that way. He told us, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ … For the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:12&14, ESV).
And now we are “the body of Christ and individually members of it” (12:27)! Man was never meant to be alone, and praise God, we don’t have to be!
But even more than a congregation of believers in the present, we are a part of an eternal entity, the universal church of Christ. We are adopted into the family of God, made into spiritual offspring of Abraham. It blows my mind to think the Old Testament saints paved the way for you and me.
Men and women of the Bible, like Samson, Sarah, and countless others, walked by faith (rather than sight) as temporary exiles on this earth, awaiting the fulfilling of the promise God gave them, trusting He would bring about the completion.
They inspire me.
Recently, some books and sermons have encouraged my heart greatly. The words of authors and speakers bring Biblical characters to life and help me appreciate their commendable faith amidst their glaring flaws.
It gives me so much hope because they are hardly any better than you and I. They struggled with weakness, selfishness, doubt, insecurity, loneliness, heartache, impulsiveness, and pride. They made plenty of mistakes, questioned God, suffered the consequences of their sins, and misrepresented the Lord in their moments of failing.
But He never left them nor forsook them. It was never the strength of the person that carried them, but the power and grace of God. He always lifted them up, disciplined them in love, and turned them again toward His face and His work.
And He does the same for us!
Most times I forget that my favorite Bible stories are real. The figures I admire were real people with real thoughts, real feelings, real families—and real faith. They lived life. The Scripture just doesn’t give us every single miniscule detail because then it’d be a million pages long and not serve God’s purpose.
Maybe you can relate.
God’s Provision: Our reassurance is that God, in His infinite wisdom, compiled the books of His Word for our instruction and edification. Nothing is left out that is necessary for salvation. God simply gave us the gift of knowledge to teach, empower, and encourage His beloved children.
Word of the Week: Lineage. Like a family tree. God has grafted us into His lineage of faith, along with our historical fathers and ancestors and our spiritual brothers and sisters—believers of all time and age.
That fills my heart with joy, honor, excitement, and gratitude! Such a realization motivates me to live for the Lord and absorb every iota of His Word. I hope it does the same for you.
Abby
