Community of Believers | We are here for one another!

Dear Reader, the challenges of this life come in many shapes and forms. Regardless of how it comes or what it appears like, the blow of difficulties can often be softened when another will come alongside to help shoulder the load. I am resharing this post to encourage us in our need to look out for the welfare of one another:

Races can take you through many terrains. Running uphill is hard. The more you go, the steeper the incline, the harder it gets. Breath after breath, your chest heaves for relief. Push after push, your muscles cry out for mercy. And, just when you thought you had no more in you, just when you thought you couldn’t go any farther, imagine for a moment, from behind there comes these hands out of nowhere that steady your stride and help propel you forward. On the side of you come these smiling faces with encouraging words, grabbing hold of your arms and helping pull you up that incline so that you might finish your race. They want to help you make it.

Just as runners need each other on the steepest climbs, so, too, do we need each other in our spiritual journey. We rely on our association with fellow believers to not only run well, but to finish well.

The Apostle Paul often described our Christian life as a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). We run it. We press for it. But, sometimes the way gets hard, and if it had not been for the grace of God, we would not have made it. 

As the community of racers pushed and pulled the struggling runner uphill, so, too, God will minister to us to help us run our race. Often this is done through the community of believers who will come alongside the one who needs support.

In this world, as they say, the struggle is real. May we, as a community of believers, recognize the support that each one needs. May we join our fellow Christian race runners and offer the help and encouragement they need to make it. May we see beyond our own race and allow God to use our hands and smiling faces to help bolster someone’s faith as they strive to make it up the inclines of this life.

We all have the same goal in mind: to finish the race. We need each other to do it. As a community of believers, our job goes beyond spreading the gospel, being a light in this dark world, and all the other spiritual stuff it entails. Our job is also to seek the welfare of one another, to help those around us. We ought to be there for one another. We need to be present and involved in what they are going through, champion companions in this race, so that, as the Bible says, “that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it,” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).

The hardest climbs can be conquered when we support one another. 

More encouraging verses and quotes:

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow . . .” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

“God has chosen us to help one another.” Smith Wigglesworth

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Encourage One Another!”

Does someone you know today need an encouraging word? The truth is we never know what one another is dealing with or going through. Life is short. Spread the love. “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Community of Believers | We are here for one another!

 

Races can take you through many terrains.  Running uphill, it’s hard.  The more you go, the steeper the incline, the harder it gets.  Breath after breath your chest heaves for relief.  Push after push your muscles cry out for mercy.  And, just when you thought you had no more in you; just when you thought you couldn’t go any farther, from behind there comes these hands out of nowhere that steadies your stride and helps propel you forward some more.  On the side of you comes smiling faces with encouraging words grabbing hold of your arms and help pull you up that incline that you might finish your race.  They want to help you make it.

The Apostle Paul often described our Christian life as a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  We run it.  We press for it.  But, sometimes the way gets hard and if it had not been for the grace of God, we would not have made it.

As the community of racers pushed and pulled the struggling runner uphill, so God will minister to us to help us go through our race.  Often this is done through the community of believers that will come alongside the one that needs support.

In this world the struggle is real.  May we, as a community of believers, recognize the support that each one needs.  May we join up with our fellow Christian race runners and offer the help and encouragement they need to make it.  May we see beyond our own race and allow God to use our hands and smiling faces to help bolster someone’s faith as they are striving to make it up the inclines of this life.

We all have the same goal in mind: to finish the race.  We need each other to do it.  As a community of believers, our job goes beyond spreading the gospel and being a light in this dark world, and all the other spiritual stuff it entails.  Our job is also to seek the welfare of one another.  We need to be there for one another.  We need to be present and involved in the process of what they are going through “that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it,” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).  

More encouraging verses and quotes:

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow . . .” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

“God has chosen us to help one another.” Smith Wigglesworth

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Camaraderie

love one another

Once, I had the pleasure of sitting in the cold, dank rain at the ballpark and watch my home team play.  Through the innings of watching outs and runs one thing that couldn’t escape my attention was the camaraderie between the opposing teams.

Yes, they were playing against each other, each determined to win.  Yes, they would do what was necessary to gain the victory in the end.  But, that didn’t stop the fellowship of being a player amongst one another.  Though, for the moment, they are technically each other’s rival.   They are, in fact, all members of the same big league family and you see this manifest itself in between the plays when they pat each other on the back or speak the same baseball family language of encouragement to one another.

What also doesn’t easily escape my attention is the lack of this same brotherly fellowship between some who say they are in Christ.  With such a worldly and competitive spirit present in some churches, the opportunities become fewer and fewer to help one another and foster the Christ-like bond that is be at the forefront; a bond that would allow one to speak words that elevate instead of tearing down or a friendly gesture that says, “I am in this with you.”

We are to be edifiers of one another building the church of Christ on bricks of love, 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  Let’s start today with a determined effort to do our part and show the world the love of Christ through the camaraderie of the brethren of which we are all members of, male or female.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” John 13:35.

Camaraderie

love one another

 

I had the pleasure the other day to sit in the cold, dank rain at the ball park and watch my home team play.  Through the innings of watching outs and runs one thing that couldn’t escape my attention was the camaraderie between the opposing teams.

Yes, they were playing against each other, each determined to win.  Yes, they would do what was necessary to gain the victory in the end.  But, that didn’t stop the fellowship of being a player amongst one another.  Though, for the moment, they are technically each other’s rival.   They are, in fact, all members of the same big league family and you see this manifest itself in between the plays when they pat each other on the back or speak the same baseball family language of encouragement to one another.

What also doesn’t easily escape my attention is the lack of this same brotherly fellowship between some who say they are in Christ.  With such a worldly and competitive spirit present in some churches, the opportunities become fewer and fewer to help one another and foster the Christ-like bond that is be at the forefront; a bond that would allow one to speak words that elevate instead of tearing down or a friendly gesture that says, “I am in this with you.”

We are to be edifiers of one another building the church of Christ on bricks of love, 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  Let’s start today with a determined effort to do our part and show the world the love of Christ through the camaraderie of the brethren of which we are all members of, male or female.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” John 13:35.