Greetings!
Today's message is brief.
I think that it is important to recognize that we are not to meant to go it alone. Maybe some of you remember the Simon and Garfunkel song "I am a Rock". There is a line in the song that says "for a rock feels no pain and an island never dies". Sometimes we try to live an insular life so that we don't get hurt. We put up barriers between ourselves and others to keep from experiencing disappointment or sorrow. However, these same barriers keep us from experiencing joy and love as well.
Paul in Romans tells us:
“...so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ”
Paul is saying that we each play a part in the body of Christ and it is up to us to participate. It is easy to discount this, or say we are too busy to be part of a group. The reality is that it might not always be us that is helped by our participation in a group.
Sometimes we can end up being an "encourager" because we have experience in a certain area that can only be understood by somebody who has been through that same situation. In my own case, it has been in dealing with an elderly parent who has Alzheimer's. For others it can be going through a trial with addictions, dealing with a loved one's suicide or the loss of a child. Sometimes it can be just being there to listen and care.
The point is that we can make a difference when we get off the sidelines and participate.
Today's Bible verse:
“...that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”
Until tomorrow...
-Noel