Christmas At The Movies - Week 4 - Day 3
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear heavenly father, thank you for fellow believers who help me to grow stronger in my faith and to walk closer with you: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17, (NIV)
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
REFLECT:
In this passage in Philippians, Paul exhorts the readers to follow or mimic what they have seen in his life since he accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior. Paul did not feel this way because he felt he was better than others, but because he considered himself the greatest of sinners. Paul persecuted countless Christians before he was saved. While journeying to Damascus to persecute believers there, the Lord blinded Paul leading up to a supernatural healing and salvation for him. Paul considered his own story one of God’s greatest miracles, demonstrating the true mercy of God. Paul also understood how important it was to mentor and lead others in the ways of the Lord. To that end, he mentored Timothy, teaching and admonishing him in God’s word and ways. Paul says to young Timothy, “you then my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others,” II Timothy 2:1-2, (NIV).
Fellowship is so vital to our Christian walk during times of trial and testing. In 2020, with the COVID pandemic, we have never needed the body of Christ more than we do now. The church is where we can be encouraged when the worries of health and well-being get us down. As the writer of Hebrews states: “and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another – and all the more as we see the Day approaching,” Hebrews 10:24-25, (NIV).
APPLY:
Never has there been a more critical time for small fellowships within the church, like home teams. When families are undergoing difficulties and struggles, it is so important to have someone to call on for support, for prayer and for encouragement. I have found great strength from other men in a weekly Bible study group I am a part of. When my daughter was in a horrific car wreck in the middle of November, I reached out to my men’s group for prayer and support. When I was waiting the next day through the surgery my daughter had to undergo to put plates in her arm, I literally “felt” the prayers of those men during those morning hours. The peace of God that passes all understanding enveloped my soul and spirit and I felt lifted-up! During the days of recovery that have followed, I have continued to be blessed by the men in my Bible study who have texted me, called me, and asked about my daughter. You see, Jesus said that there would be difficult times in our walk with him, but with the fellowship of believers around us, we can get through any storm that life has for us. “But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33b, (NIV)
CLOSING PRAYER:
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,” II Corinthians 4:16-18, (NIV).