Hebrews 13:3 (NET) - Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them, and those ill-treated as if you too felt their torment.
I can never read this verse without thinking of someone.
Some years ago, I accompanied my boss on a business trip where we were worked with a gentleman who took over his company after his father retired.
Some of the questions we had regarded matters from when the father ran the firm.
The gentleman called his father who agreed to come down and answer our questions.
He arrived and was most cooperative with us.
After some time went by, we all agreed that we should break for lunch.
At the restaurant, I sat directly across the table from this older gentleman.
He asked me about my faith which pleasantly surprised me.
I gladly shared my faith with him and he, in turn, shared his with me.
That is when he told me how Hebrews 13:3 changed his life.
After he retired, this man wasn’t sure what to do with the extra time he had on his hands.
The answer came to him as he read his Bible one evening.
When he read this verse, he felt moved to start a prison ministry.
He wasn’t sure how or even where to begin.
He prayed about this and as a result, he contacted some retired friends of his and told them about his desire to start a prison ministry.
Some were interested.
As a team, they now go into prisons and minister to those incarcerated.
As I stated before, I cannot read this verse without thinking of this fine Christian man and how he felt moved to live according to it.
I also remind myself that prisons are not always buildings with high walls, iron bars and guard towers.
People cam be prisoners in other ways.
They can be prisoners languishing in a cell of self doubt.
They can be imprisoned by the harsh words others have told them in the past.
They can be held captive by memories of abuse.
We should remember these prisoners as well.
We should feel their pain.
We should do everything within our power to help them.
But how?
Paul, a prisoner, gives us the answer.
2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NET) - Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David, such is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but God’s message is not imprisoned!
Paul was imprisoned by powers that tried to silence his ministry.
Yet the Word of God can neither be silenced nor imprisoned.
That is how we can best help free these captives from their prisons.
We must be willing to share the Word of God with them.
The Word of God can break one out of their prison.
It can do so because it also has the power to break into it.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/
I can never read this verse without thinking of someone.
Some years ago, I accompanied my boss on a business trip where we were worked with a gentleman who took over his company after his father retired.
Some of the questions we had regarded matters from when the father ran the firm.
The gentleman called his father who agreed to come down and answer our questions.
He arrived and was most cooperative with us.
After some time went by, we all agreed that we should break for lunch.
At the restaurant, I sat directly across the table from this older gentleman.
He asked me about my faith which pleasantly surprised me.
I gladly shared my faith with him and he, in turn, shared his with me.
That is when he told me how Hebrews 13:3 changed his life.
After he retired, this man wasn’t sure what to do with the extra time he had on his hands.
The answer came to him as he read his Bible one evening.
When he read this verse, he felt moved to start a prison ministry.
He wasn’t sure how or even where to begin.
He prayed about this and as a result, he contacted some retired friends of his and told them about his desire to start a prison ministry.
Some were interested.
As a team, they now go into prisons and minister to those incarcerated.
As I stated before, I cannot read this verse without thinking of this fine Christian man and how he felt moved to live according to it.
I also remind myself that prisons are not always buildings with high walls, iron bars and guard towers.
People cam be prisoners in other ways.
They can be prisoners languishing in a cell of self doubt.
They can be imprisoned by the harsh words others have told them in the past.
They can be held captive by memories of abuse.
We should remember these prisoners as well.
We should feel their pain.
We should do everything within our power to help them.
But how?
Paul, a prisoner, gives us the answer.
2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NET) - Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David, such is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but God’s message is not imprisoned!
Paul was imprisoned by powers that tried to silence his ministry.
Yet the Word of God can neither be silenced nor imprisoned.
That is how we can best help free these captives from their prisons.
We must be willing to share the Word of God with them.
The Word of God can break one out of their prison.
It can do so because it also has the power to break into it.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/
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