Many things make matched pairs. There’s salt and…pepper; sugar and….spice; black and…white. And certain ideas often come in pairs. Think of good and…evil. But rather than positives and negatives, how about two positives? Love and truth are an inseparable pair! These and other duos can equip us greatly if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Pairs: Love And Truth
These two idea stand together. Is it truly loving to speak less than the truth? Whether the truth is painful or not, truth is the only thing that will help any of us. My Dad has often told me there are only two people in the world who will tell you the truth. The first is a person who loves you very much and the other is a person who is so mad at you they don’t care. The first one will tell the truth and hope you receive it because they delivered it with love. The second one exhibits no love but tells the truth in anger. Proverbs 27:6 says it this way:
The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
The words of those who love us may sometimes bring us pain. But the truth in them will do us good (they are faithful). An enemy’s kisses are nothing more than lies. And lies harm rather than help.
Disciples have been entrusted with something incredibly valuable. We are Truth carriers. Scripture says we can know Truth and it will set us free. Is that not the goal of Truth, to free captives? The challenge is to love enough to let the Truth out. How are we doing? Is this bit of truth challenging to you? Let me share another important pair that equips us.
Prayer And Preparation
This pair often goes ‘unmatched’ in our minds. Prayer IS preparation. But it can also be part of preparation. Let me give you three, well-known examples and then a word of very helpful, practical application.
Humorous pairs – couches and potatoes
First, think of Moses. God prepared Moses in two 40-year segments. Moses knew the Egyptian palace and he knew the Sinai desert. Both were necessary for success in the mission God assigned to Moses. And only God knows the full extent of Moses’ prayers in his 40 years as a shepherd.
Second, there’s David. God also prepared him as he took care of sheep. And Scripture preserves a number of his prayers that teach and encourage us. Psalm 23 is just one. Prayer was part of David’s preparation.
Third, think of Paul. He was prepared by the best education a Jewish young man could receive. And after God called him on the Damascus road he spent three years in the desert. What was he doing? Learning, praying, and being prepared for great service. Now, let’s bring all this forward…
A Pair: EquipUs And Prayer
Every work must be prepared. And good preparation always includes prayer. That’s true for every believer and any Kingdom ministry. Our launch events are almost here. As the final preparations are made, prayer should have the priority place on our lists of things to do.
So, whether you are physically helping with the events, planning to attend, or looking for another way to help – we all need to pray. Prayer and preparation go together. And the Word teaches us our Father blesses that pair! So, again, please pray as we continue to prepare.
Need a ticket? INFO HERE. We’d love to see you at either event – Huntsville or Scottsboro.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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