Scripture of The Day
August 16, 2021
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:4-25)
(From Ultimate Success God’s Way Devotional)
The Church is God’s life-support system for individual Christians. Nobody expects a baby to grow on its own, and God never meant for us to grow and develop spiritually in isolation. Spiritual growth is a group project, which should be good news to you and I because that means we don’t have to do it all by our selves. Adam’s aloneness was the only part of creation that God said was “not good” (Genesis 2:18).
The universal church is made up of believers every-where. The local church is made up believers somewhere. The writer of Hebrews states, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do (Hebrews 10:25 TM). You say, “But I don’t need encouragement and I don’t need help.” Perhaps not today, but what about next week or next month? And what about the people who need your help and encouragement?
There are two kinds of growth: (1) Symbiotic growth – which occurs when two organisms both benefit by the relationship. (2) Parasitic growth – which occurs when one organism feeds off the other without giving anything back. Paul describes the Church as “God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19, NIV) in which the members grow by being “fitted together” and by being “built together for a dwelling place of God” (Ephesians :21-1-2, NKJV). We are to be a part of something bigger than any one of us. There is no mention in Paul’s writings of individual growth apart from the Church. We only grow as we connect, relate, contribute, and receive one from another.
