First of all sorry for the late post. Early morning hours of Father's Day we had very bad storms come thru. 90+ mph winds, then lost power. All I knew to do was pray for angels of protection around us we got the warning on phone said 2 hrs before arrival. WRONG it was here in less than 13 minutes. We rock n rolled for a little bit, however we only had a few small limbs down, my picnic table was turned upside down, blew my windmill down *unbroken* across the street, they had huge hardwood trees down I know that God had his hands on us. At one point over 150,000 OK residence were without power. We had 35,000 linemen from all over the country show up and give aid to help restore power. There is still a few hundred without power 10 days later, it has been in the upper 90 with heat index into the 110 range. Please say a prayer for those traveling that they can soon return home to their families.
AND NOW FOR week 2 and 3 of FELLOWSHIP
Week 2 Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, so another man sharpens another.
PROFOUND TRUTH: we as individuals have the sound capacity to influence & sharpen each other. In our journey of faith (I) we need this from each other, other Christians' with whom we are in fellowship with: In ancient times iron was a vital tool for daily life used for many different purposes; sharpening weapons, farming tools. Iron could not reach full potential without process of sharpening. The process involved rubbing 2 pieces of iron together causing edges to become sharper and more effective. We need influence, encouragement so that we may grow and mature. God, NEVER intended for us to walk the spiritual journey alone, He designed us as social beings, created for community and relationships, meant to come along beside each other, support, challenge and inspire each other, become the person God has called us to be. As iron sharpens iron we sharpen each other with honest and edifying conversation. When we work together in the ups & downs of life <think of the impact of positive relationship ever encountered with people in your (my) life; friend, mentor, fellow believer they spike words of wisdom that really resignated with you (me)? Their words may have change perspection and pushed you to grow or affirmed the truth that God had already been speaking to your *my* heart , interactions have a way of shaping and molding us into better versions of ourselves.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The process of sharpening can be very uncomfortable just as iron rubbing iron causes friction and sparks, our interactions with each other might reveal areas in our life needing refinement. Humbling or painful. GOD uses those moments to mold and shape us to make us more like HIM. Embrace the opportunity to live, learn, grow and to allow the Holy Spirit to work thru these relationships to sharpen our character to be more like him. DONT FORGET we have a responsibility to sharpen other s with words, actions, attitudes all have the power to affect those around us, we can choose to build each other up or tear down, encourage/discourage, love/judge.
REMEMBER: bring out the best in others, bringing to God's love and truth.
Week 3 Hebrews 10:24-25 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We are not meant to live out our faith alone; we are called to come together as a community of believers to encourage one another/ spur one another onto good deeds, love and to lift each other up in times of need and to celebrate each others successes.
God created us to live in community with each other, when we can come together to worship, pray, study God's word we are strengthened in our faith and encouraged to be in the path that God has sat out for us.
When we neglect fellowship we can become isolated, discouraged and makes it easier for the enemy to come and convince us of lies that then take place in our hearts .
Fellowship, allows us to serve on another and to use our gifts/talents to build up the body of Christ. When we work together, we can accomplish so much more than working on our own. Support one another in times of need, fun to celebrate in times of joy. In our busy lives it is easy to become complacent, making excuses for not gathering with other believers. We might be tempted to not attend church, small group meetings, ect, thinking we can grow our faith on our own.
THE TRUTH: WE NEED EACH OTHER! support, encouragement of fellow believers to strengthen our faith, and to remind us of the truth.
Make fellowship a priority: Encourage one another, lift up in time of need, spur in the time of victory, so that WE can continue to grow in our faith and be more like Christ intended us to be.
I am thankful for my fellowship through my bible journaling, and blogging, as well as attending church, and other church related gatherings.
