Fellowship

Running the Race

This week, I had a friend accompany me on my run.  I have struggled with finding people to run at a similar pace for a longer distance.  We ran almost 12 miles with relative ease, as we talked and shared stories along the way.  It made my run more fun and enjoyable to have the fellowship of a friend. 

The dictionary defines fellowship as “friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.”  People tend to gravitate to other people who share their interests.  When I am with my family or my best friends, we talk about those things that we have in common.  During our marriage, my husband and I have found common interests that we can share together.  We all thirst for a sense of belonging, and one of the ways that fulfill this need is when we spend time with people who are similar to us.  It also motivates us to do our best when we know that someone else is depending on us. 

The Bible teaches us the value of fellowship with other believers.  In Hebrews 10:  23-25, the Bible says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” 

During this time of year, life gets really hectic.  Our kids are involved in activities and our jobs are busy; it seems like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish the things that we need to do.  Sometimes we convince ourselves that it is okay for us to miss church services as long as we are reading our Bibles, but God tells us that is not okay.  We are to not neglect meeting together.  It is clear from God’s word that true Christian fellowship provides us with motivation and encouragement.

God intends for you to have a church that you attend regularly and other Christians with whom to fellowship.  It is easy to get slack if you are alone, but if you are with other believers, they will hold you accountable.  On my run, my friend and I pushed each other until we reached our goal.  As part of your new year with God, don’t forget about the importance and the joy of fellowship.  Seek out other Christians who will motivate you, encourage you, and serve God with you.

Serving God in a Changing World

      January for a runner often means trying out all the new Christmas running gear.  I have a new outfit, some new shoes, some wireless headphones, and a new GPS watch.  I set out on my run in all my new "stuff," looking the part of a serious runner.  My new watch quickly located satellites, and I was on my way.  Despite the new swag, my run was pitifully slow.  I felt the weight of all my holiday events and indulgences and struggled.  My husband called and asked how things were going.  I told him not well.  He was curious if the watch was not working, or the headphones, and I assured him that it was not a technology fail;  the real problem was me.

      Just like present day runners have all kinds of neat gadgets and gear at our disposal, Christians have more opportunities to read God's word than ever before.  We have Internet sites, social media, and apps that show the Bible and commentary on our laptops, tablets, and cell phones.  We even have plans for reading the Bible that will send us a reminder message to read His word.  We have greater access to Biblical knowledge than any generation before us.  So why do we often fail to read God's word or when we do, why do we often fail to hear Him speak to us?  The problem is us. We indulge so much in the world that we leave little room for serving Him.  We take care of all our worldly responsibilities and give Him the left overs.  We focus on the world all day long and then wonder why we don't feel God as deeply as we want to.  We even find ourselves focused on the world when we are reading His word or praying.  Just as we can't have quality conversation with our children or our husband while watching TV or playing on Facebook, we can't focus on God when we are just staring at a screen.  I love technology and think that it is a great tool for spreading the Gospel. I often use technology to read my Bible, but we must always be mindful that we are focused on Him and not other things.

     In Proverbs 4: 20-22, the Bible says, "My child, pay attention to what I say.  Listen carefully to my words,  Don't lose sight of them.  Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body."

     God's word is so precious, and we have access to it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Sometimes all this access can make us take it for granted.  Technology is not the problem;  the problem is us.  I hope in this new year to use technology to read God's word, spread His word, bring comfort to others, and praise His name.  I know that I often struggle with letting technology get in the way of my walk with God and spending quality time with my family.   I pray that as God's word says, I will learn not to lose sight of His words and let them penetrate into my life in every area.
     

Resolutions

     Beginning a new year always makes me think about making resolutions.  People have different ideas about resolutions.  Some people dismiss them as nonsense.  Others make a list of impossible things.  Still others use them as a driving force to make real change in their lives.  I look at resolutions as goals.  I have a half marathon coming up, so one of my resolutions or goals is to run a half marathon faster than ever before.   Other resolutions I have are to read through the Bible and declutter my house this year.

      I think a mistake that many people make with resolutions and in goals in general is thinking that they are all or nothing.  For example, some people have a goal to work out a certain number of days a week.  At the beginning of the year, they hit it hard, but if they have a setback and skip a week at the gym, then they see this as failure and just quit going at all.  They could have success if they would just keep working at it.  For many years, I vowed each new year to lose my baby weight.  I would go on a crash diet and starve myself, but after a week or two, I became discouraged and just gave up.  I eventually lost the weight but it took patience and time, making small life style changes over a course of three years.  A few years ago, my resolution was to read the Bible in a year.  I wasn’t able to read it in a year; it took me closer to a year and a half, but I didn’t give up and quit.  I still received a blessing from God by reading his Holy book. 

     We are imperfect people, and living a Christian life will have setbacks.  We should not, however, get into the all or nothing mentality.  If you give up drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol and stumble, get right back up, confess your sins to God, and get back on your program.  If you miss a day of Bible reading or prayer, get right back on the path.  If you are bitter, spiteful, prideful, or unforgiving, confess these sins to God and recommit to a Christ filled life.

     In Phillipians 3:12-16, the Bible says, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.  But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.”

    I love this chapter in Phillipians.  When we stumble and give up, we are not holding on to our progress.  When we make mistakes, we must keep going.  If I quit running, but returned to it in a few weeks, I might lose a little fitness, but I would quickly be able to reach the point that I was at before and could soon even surpass it.  If, however, I quit running for a few months, I would soon barely be able to run at all.  It would take a long time for me to get back to where I was.  Our Christian lives are the same; a minor setback should not cause us to give up.  That stumbling block can become a stepping stone for us to continue our race for God.