Coming Alongside
Why does the Bible tell us not to go it alone but to stay in close touch with others? Chuck Swindoll reminds us of the benefits of having friends—and of being one.
Email. Internet. Video. Texting. Tablets. Smartphones. The list never ends, does it? As technology advances, real human connection becomes harder and harder. If we’re not careful, each new gadget can draw us further away from the family of believers God designed us to be.
If you want to experience a close community with other Christians, you must first escape the trap of superficiality and to develop tight bonds that will feed your soul and mature your spiritual family.
Why does the Bible tell us not to go it alone but to stay in close touch with others? Chuck Swindoll reminds us of the benefits of having friends—and of being one.
Now that we’ve considered the action we must take, let’s turn to Galatians 6:1 for a close look at the proper attitude we need. To qualify for helping restore others to the truth, we must first be filled with the Spirit and not controlled by the flesh.
Legacies don’t just happen. They don’t fall out of heaven, materialize in the middle of our living rooms, or appear on our doorsteps accompanied by a knock and a note. Legacies are created.
Because Christ brought peace, we now have access to God through Him, joining other believers as part of His family on earth.
Jesus has brought peace between God and people by breaking down the barrier between us.
We need clear guidance on this topic. The Bible’s teaching on divorce is expansive; however, in this short piece, we’ll narrow our focus to one important aspect of Jesus’ teaching from Mark 10:1–12—the condition for divorce.
The thing that determines whether the exercise of making judgments is sinful or not is the attitude that accompanies it. Is it done in a humble, loving way or a proud, critical, unloving way?
The quality that distinctively sets apart believers as followers of Jesus is not a pithy bumper sticker or a fish emblem dangling from a necklace or a gilded dove pinned on the lapel. These are only symbols of our faith. The true mark of a Christian is love.
Make a positive difference in someone’s life simply by giving a word of encouragement. Never underestimate the impact of affirming and uplifting words.
James encouraged us to prevent verbal fires from burning the forest around us. And yet, he gave no checklist, no tear-out sheet, and no three-step solution. Thankfully, the Bible isn’t silent about what we should and should not say.