24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Staying on course can be difficult. We need each other to stay on course. Part of our duty as Christians is to push each other forward. We can become like sheep, content to just stand in the field and eat, socialize with each other and make small messes. But the purpose of the Gospel message is this: because we are changed by the Life of God flowing through us, we go out and share the joyful message of forgiveness. We are also to be in the process of change which takes participation from us. We tend to get lazy in our pursuits. We need each other to give us a little push in the right direction. We all need this. This verse mentions two outcomes of these pushes. The first is love, love that is seen, felt and experienced. These are not empty words, but words that get translated into action. And that action results in good deeds. Godly faith always results in actions, in changes in behavior toward God, self and others. If someone claims to be a Jesus-follower and yet they continue to stay the same in their actions, their claim is empty of substance. Good deeds, that is love in action, are always present in a believer’s life. That is why we need to spur each other on in our pursuit of God. Good deeds take effort, and effort drains us. Our natural tendency is to get in our field (church), eat (get teaching), socialize (potlucks) and make messes (gossip & backbite). But we are missing the point of the Gospel if we do these things exclusively. We are to increase in our expressions of love and good deeds. People who don’t know Jesus should be able to see the changes in our lives and our communities as a direct result of our efforts to put feet to the Gospel. Our outreaches should help the poor and ‘different’ who live in our communities. They should be experiencing the love of Jesus through us.
The Arnold Journey 