Who are Your Supporters?

LIfe is tough and we are not meant to go it alone. Scripture is very clear that we will face troubles.

James 1:2

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Note this verse doesn’t say “if” you meet trials, but rather “when”. We will have trials and difficulties in this life. There is a saying that says “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Although it is attributed to God, it is not biblically based. God will often give us more than we can handle because He wants us to be dependent upon Him and the power of His Holy Spirit working in and through us.

God not only wants us to be dependent upon Him, but to be dependent upon other believers. When we go through difficult times, we need one another. We need people who will lend a compassionate ear, give us wise counsel, pray for us, encourage us and love us.

My month of December was anything but easy. I was away from home for 5 weeks, a caregiver for two family members after their surgeries, had a death in the family and spent Christmas apart from my husband and daughters. None of these things would have been possible if not for my wonderful support system.

My church family at Grace Anglican Community prayed for me, called me and encouraged me from afar. My dear friends provided listening ears, shoulders to cry on and just the right words of encouragement when needed. The love and prayers of these wonderful people and my relationship with Jesus is what sustained me during this time.

Who are your supporters? Who provides a listening ear, shoulder to cry on, words of wisdom and encouragement to you? If you find yourself lacking supporters in your life, turn to the Lord and ask Him to lead you to people who can help you walk this faith journey. If you are not part of a church community, that is a great place to start.

Who does the Lord want to use you to support today? It is easy to become self-centered and only see our own struggles and circumstances, but we need to look around and see who around us might need our support today. Pray the Lord will open your eyes to someone who could use your support today. You will be a blessing to the person in need and will be abundantly blessed by the Lord for being His hands and feet in the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com
• Photo by Shelly Sorem

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Parenting

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Paul says it should be based on training our children in the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

As with all other relationships we have looked at throughout the book of Ephesians, Paul reminds us to bring in the Lord. In doing so, we are to bring our children “up in the training and instruction of the Lord”. The Greek word for ‘training’ is ‘paideia’ and it means “to instruct”. “It also carries the implication of chastening or discipline, because effective instruction often includes discipline and correction. The Greek word for ‘instruction’ is ‘nouthesia’ which means “an admonition, warning , exhortation”.  “nouthesia is any word of encouragement or reproof which leads to correct behavior.

Paul is suggesting parenting is a balance of encouragement and discipline in order to get our children to behave. It is not only encouragement and it is not only discipline, but a balance of the two. Children who are raised with only encouragement with no discipline can become unruly and those raised with only discipline with no encouragement may have their spirits broken. Both training and instruction are to be “in the Lord”. The Lord should be at the center of our relationships with our children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

 ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Notice when the teaching of God’s ways are to take place, when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, when you get up. Basically, instructing our children in the Lord is to happen all the time. It is not something we can pass off onto the Sunday school teachers and expect them to teach our children. As parents, we are responsible to teach our children to know and love the Lord and to know His ways. It isn’t something that simply happens as we take them to church on Sunday but occurs every minute of everyday.

Our children watch us and we need to make sure we are following the way of the Lord so they can learn by our example. We need to teach our children to read the Word of God and know what He says about how we are to live our lives. What we do on a daily basis will have an impact on our children’s spiritual growth.

Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go,
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Are you training and instruction your children in the Lord? Are you modeling prayer and reading His Word daily? Do you share with your children what the Lord is doing in your life? Is the spiritual development of your children part of your daily life?

• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com
• Greek definitions and quotes from “The Key Word Study Bible”, AMG Publishers
• Picture from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Why go to Church?

 

Have you ever heard someone say they are a Christian but they just don’t feel the need to go to church; their relationship is just between them and God? It is possible to be a Christian and not go to church, but in doing so you are walking alone a walk that God created you to walk with others.  There are so many benefits to being part of a Christian community.  For starters it is a way for us to gather with other believers to worship the Lord, the One who created us and loves us. When believers gather to worship God, He shows up and we are able to experience His presence.  

Matthew 18:20

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

It is within the body of Christ that we are to use our spiritual gifts. Without being in a fellowship of believers, how can we be doing our part?

1 Corinthians 12:27

 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

  God knew we would face challenges, James talks about “trials of many kinds” and He doesn’t want us to go it alone. He wants us to turn to Him and to have the fellowship of others who may have experienced the same kinds of difficulties and can help comfort us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 

Another important reason to be part of a fellowship is so that you can be encouraged and encourage others.  Walking this walk is hard, we all go through difficult times and it is the love, support and encouragement from other believers that can help us get through tough times.

Hebrews 10:24-25

 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I know there are a lot of people who have been hurt by churches or more specifically by people in the church.  Churches are made up of people and, as people, are all broken and imperfect. We are so broken that we need a Savior.  If you have been wounded or hurt by someone in the body of Christ, don’t allow that to keep you out of the body.  Churches would be perfect if it weren’t for the people, because people are far from perfect.  I want to encourage each of you today to be part of a Christian fellowship.  Find a church, attend and get involved.  Christian fellowship is more than just merely sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning, it is about connecting with other believers. You can be a Christian on your own, but you can’t experience all God has for you on your own!