You Need to Share!

I share life with a group of women.  They don’t live in my house, but we get together on a regular basis.  While some of these women just recently joined our group, a lot of these women have been sharing life with me for years.  We’ve shared many things – recipes, laughter, tears, prayer requests, lunch, frustrations, joy, and even grief.  When we meet I try to teach and encourage them from what I’ve learned in life, but most meetings I learn more from them than they do from me.  They need me in their life, and I most certainly need them. I would be a hot mess without them, and they would agree with that statement!

What group of women do I share life with?  My Bible study friends.  We are a part of The Church.

Acts 2:42 says “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”  And if we keep reading through Acts 2, we see that verse 44 says the believers shared “everything”.  This is The Church.  This is how God intended us to live.  He never wanted us to be alone.  We were created from a Relationship (The Trinity) for relationships (with Him and each other).  Relationships are important to God, and they should be important to us.

Now, I’ve heard many people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.  I know Jesus as my Savior and I can read the Bible on my own.”  Well, here’s what I have to say about that.  Satan wants you alone.  Alone he can get you to believe lies.  When you are alone, you don’t have someone beside you to remind you of God’s truths. Life has struggles, and we were never, ever meant to take those struggles on by ourselves.  Yes, you can take on anything with the help of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  But, wouldn’t it be much easier if you had someone beside you to help you when you struggle? God wants Believers to help each other!

But sometimes it’s not about you! (Actually – it’s never really about you or any one of us, but let’s think about other people for a moment.) Sometimes it’s about someone else.  Sometimes other people need to hear your story about victory over cancer, or victory after a divorce, or victory over an addiction, or whatever your story is.  2 Corinthians 1:4 says we will be able to comfort others with the comfort we have received.  How in the world are you to comfort someone if you aren’t there!??!?!?!  God wouldn’t let you go through hard times unless He intended to use it in some way!  Someone in The Church needs to hear your story.

Are you actively, regularly attending church? What keeps you from going?  How has The Church been a blessing to you?

Lord, thanks for creating The Church.  I’d be a lost child without my Christian friends.  Thank You for women willing to share their lives with me.  Thank you for giving Your life for me. Help me never to take the church for granted.  In the precious name of Jesus – Amen.

For additional study:

·        Read Acts 2:42-47.  List what the Believers did when they met together.  What is God telling you through these scriptures.

·        Read 2 Corinthians 1:4.  Write it in your own words.  Is there a time when God has used your story to comfort someone else, or is there a time when you’ve been encouraged by someone else’s story?