DAY 21 – DEEPEN MY COMMUNITY
By: Pastor Heiden Ratner
[/nectar_highlighted_text][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-book” color=”Accent-Color”]SCRIPTURE:
ECCLESIASTES 4:9–12 ESV
9 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”icon-user” color=”Accent-Color”]DEVOTIONAL:
Christianity is a team sport. The lifestyle of a disciple should look less like a 100-yard dash and more like a relay race where the runners are dependent on each other to succeed. Jesus, set it up this way. At the beginning of time, we read the first-ever “not good” moment in history happened when Adam was alone. (Genesis 2:18) In other words – we are created for community. When we are outside of relationship, we are inside of what the Lord calls “not good.” Solomon affirms this idea in Proverbs, writing: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” (Proverbs 18:1 ESV)
As we conclude our 21 days of prayer and fasting today, I want to encourage you to identify (at minimum) two things the Lord has shown you throughout these 21 days and initiate a time with someone to share how the Lord has been speaking to you. It’s during moments like these that we can either stay comfortable, distant, and silent, or we can grow deeper in our faith and community and share. This will require faith, initiation, and boldness, however, isn’t that why we’re here? To go beyond the surface in our walk with Jesus and one another in 2022?
I encourage you not to allow yourself to drift into isolation this year. Go deeper than that. When you feel tempted to retreat from community, begin praying “Lord, deepen my community. Take us beyond fake friendships, surface-able relationships, and selfish isolation. Lord, take us deeper for Your glory, my joy, and the good of others in my life. In Jesus Name, Amen!”
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→ Commit to joining a weekly Charge Group in the upcoming season.
→ Meet up with someone within WALK Church and reflect on what the Lord has shown you over these past 21 days.[/text-with-icon][text-with-icon icon_type=”font_icon” icon=”fa fa-hand-paper-o” color=”Accent-Color”]PRAYER:
Father, I come before You in Jesus’ name, by the power of the Holy Spirit, asking You to take us deeper in community. Help us be authentic, honest, and real in the community You have placed us in. Remind us to return when we fall. Convict us with the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one…” Thank You Lord for the way You model this with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Help us to be more like You, as You live in and through us. Take us deeper, oh God. It’s in Jesus Name we pray, Amen![/text-with-icon]
