Encourage one another

Scripture: “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” (Hebrews 3:12-14)

Football season is in full swing, and I’m a huge football fan, particularly the NFL.

On Monday, as I watched one of the games, I thought to myself, these guys really have to hold each other up to a high standard to be on the team. They practice together, go over playbooks, sit in a classroom setting with the coaches, coaches work one on one with them, they encourage each other, they hone their skills and they work out with each other. When the kicker misses his mark, when the quarterback throws an interception, or someone fumbles the ball and the other team gets it, you will see teammates patting them on the back as they come off the field with head hanging low. When one of them gets injured, they comfort the wounded until the physician on hand comes to their aide. If it is serious enough – I have seen every player on both sides of the field kneel down on one knee, hold hands and bow their heads in prayer for the seriously injured team mate.

So how does football relate to the above scripture? There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians. Oh, they are out there, sure. But it is a much harder life. Just as there is no lone football players, surrounding ourselves with like minded believers helps us to stay on track, to walk the walk.

There is something valuable about living in the world, but then coming “off the field” into the arms of other Christian believers who can lift you up in prayer and encourage you to keep going. There is value in studying scripture together, holding each other accountable, confessing and repenting of sin together. When we fall, we lift each other up. When one of us backslides, there is always someone to catch us, to come along side and ask, “Hey, what’s going on? Why have you made these decisions?” It’s something we can not obtain when we are by ourselves.

I have had a busy week, so I didn’t have a chance to prepare this blog ahead of time. I had a concept of what I wanted to write about, but I couldn’t find just the right scripture. A friend of mine helped me in my time of need. (Thank you, Jeanine!) This is a true example of being able to rely on each other for growth and encouragement!

The above scripture speaks to me, because it is so easy to fall away from God, and slip into the world, with worldly attitudes and decisions, leading to a “hardened heart”. But when I stick close to my friends, my church, my pastors, I find it is easier to “walk the walk” and stay on track with whatever God has for me.

To those of you who have encouraged me with emails, blog comments, or spoken to me personally during these first few blogs I have written, thank you so much. I am encouraged and blessed more than you know. It all helps me to remain close to God as I try to live a life worthy of being called “Christian”.

Prayer: Lord, it is so easy to fall away from You and go back to leading our own, sorry lives. Help each of us to stick close to you, and to stick close to our brothers and sisters for the support and encouragement we all need. When we witness one in our ranks slipping, help us to boldly reach out to see what’s up, lend a hand, come along side and listen. Help each of us to remain in close community with each other so we don’t ever stray too far.

Prayer request: Pray for opportunities to pull in a brother or sister that is trying to lead a “Lone Ranger” life as a Christian. Pray that their hearts will be open to being taken in and surrounded by like minded believers.