“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32). We all seek to be converted, to have weak things become strong, to be less encircled about by every sin which doth easily beset us, to live a more excellent way. If we really want this, then the very first thing that we need to convert is our focus. When Christ said “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”, I think we sometimes take the wrong lesson from that and assume that we are no good to anyone else until we have been converted. We may feel that we have to work on ourselves first, and then later, after we are good and holy, we will have the energy and capacity and disposition to help and serve and strengthen others. If conversion were a one time event, we might be justified in thinking that the sequence of first converting, and then serving, is correct, based on the Lord's statement. But conversion is a process, and the degree to which we can become more converted is inextricably linked with our commitment to serving and strengthening our brethren. God isn't going to make us holier and fill us with His grace and wisdom and power just so that we can have some kind of spiritual bragging rights. If we want a greater power to resist evil, then we have to take on a greater responsibility to watch over and be with and strengthen our brothers and sisters. As we dedicate ourselves to blessing the lives of others, all of that goodness flowing through us will continue our conversion process almost on its own. I know that the more we focus on meeting the needs of others, the more our own needs are met. The more we strengthen others, the more we are converted.
