Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Never Meant To Be Alone

“Never Meant To Be Alone”

Genesis 2:18 NLT

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

This past month at church, the sermons have been about building community together.  What I found to be fascinating and had never really considered is how our pastor connected this passage to community.  Adam was alone, but God made a helper suitable and just right for him.  God didn’t want Adam to be alone, so He made Eve.  It wasn’t good for Adam to just be solo.  He was meant for community.  When our pastor shared this, it really made sense. 

I get that some people are not people-oriented and they would rather fly solo in anything they do.  For whatever reason, some people just don’t vibe very well with others and prefer to be alone all they can be.  However, this is not healthy and God has created us to be in community with each other.  It is so important for us all to be around others and build relationships so that we can encourage and build one another up.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to get into our own world and forget that other people need us.  Others need our encouragement and our presence.  Sometimes, you don’t even need to say anything to be in community with others.  Sometimes, your very presence speaks volumes just because you took the time out of your day and showed up.  That means a lot to so many people! 

I remember when I was a pastor and I went on some visits to various places.  Some situations were easier than others.  I remember some times when I didn’t have the words to share or know what to say.  However, God often reminded me that I just needed to be present.  Sometimes, I would actually hear someone say, “Thank you for coming.  Just you being here meant the world to us!”  I was like, “I didn’t do or say anything”.  But it wasn’t anything I did or said.  It was just the fact that I made a presence. 

Friends, we were all made for community.  We need to be there for one another and lift each other up as God leads us to do.  It is so important that we strive to build community with other people, even those we don’t necessarily jive with.  Just be there for others and show them you care.  God wants us to be in community with each other and share His love in whatever ways we possibly can. 

We were never meant to be alone.  Since the very beginning, God made it a point to create community.  I just pray that this devotional reminds you and encourages you that being in community with other people is vital to us living a healthy life.  We need others and God created us to be with others.  People need us and we need people.  Be thankful for the people God has brought into your life as you experience community. 

Monday, February 7, 2022

He Is Always There

“He Is Always There”

Psalm 16:8 NLT

I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

There are a lot of things and situations in this life that don’t make sense to us.  There are times when we find ourselves shaking our heads and say, “I just don’t get this!”  We all have found ourselves experiencing moments where we just don’t know what to think or what to say.  We have found ourselves, especially in the past couple of years often times, just doing what we can to keep ourselves going and maintaining the best attitude we can. 

We have all experienced way more in the past couple of years than we ever thought we would.  We try so hard to do what we can to protect our families, stay healthy and encourage each other to keep pressing on.  There are some days when we just don’t know what to do about things going on in life and there are some days when we feel like we are on cloud 9. 

We all have good moments, not so great moments and really bad moments.  This is just part of life that we cannot escape.  We do our best to make the most of any moments as we learn how to handle the different scenarios life has thrown us.  I have found myself so many days thinking “Lord, why can’t all this sickness just end?  I just want covid to be gone for good.” 

With all the ups and downs we have in life, we need to be reminded that God is always with us, through the ups and downs.  Some days, we may not feel like He is close or even doing anything in our lives.  However, we must keep the faith and not be shaken, trusting and remembering all He has done in our past and all He continues to do today.  We must hold on to the faith knowing He promises to never leave our side. 

I think of all the families who are going through really rough times and I just pray God will give them strength to hang on. 

I think of all the people I see day in and day out and I just want to be an encouragement to each of them in some way. 

Lord, thank You for always being there for us no matter what obstacles life throws at us.  Thank You for the promises You give to us each day and I pray that we won’t take those for granted.  You continue to do so many things each day right in front of us and I pray that we won’t become blinded to those.  Help us to remember to stay faithful even when we want to give up so often.  Help us to continue to carry on and keep the faith knowing You are always faithful.  Help us stay strong through the days that are so challenging so often.  Thank You for Jesus Who gives us real life.