Big Rocks for Strong Christ-Followers
Today’s Big Rock: Thinking of Others – Part V

Scripture Foundation: Hebrews 10:24-25

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.

If you search for the phrase “one another” in the New Testament, you would that phrase appears about 100 times.

About 59 occurrences are specific commands teaching us how or how not to relate to another believer.

The phrase “one another” comes from the Greek word “allelon” which means “one another, each other; mutually, reciprocally”.

In other words, the Bible is telling each gathering of believers to be giving as well as receiving encouragement or edification from each other.

I want to look at two verses in this devotion:

• Be kind and compassionate to one another. (Ephesians 4:32) and
• Bear with one another. (Colossians 3:13).

Both these verses speak to the gatherings of believers, not the “stay at homers” that watch the services online.

Of course, staying at home means that you do not need to worry about being kind to anyone because you are not physically present at church to show another believer your concern. And you do not have to put up with those believers that irritate you.

The problem is that staying away from church is not Biblical. (Of course, there are exceptions to any principle and God understands; we have previously mentioned such exceptions.)

When God’s people gather for a time of worship, it is a gathering of imperfect people who fail in their walk with God in many ways. Sometimes those failures affect other believers negatively.

The positive thing in these negative moments is that believers practice “bearing with one another” and “forgiving one another”. We always need practice in both things.

Avoiding others that might irritate you only makes you weaker as a Christ-follower. The fact is that you irritate some other believers as well.

Therefore, we sometimes refer to these gatherings as God’s family coming together to worship. All families have times of happiness and times of sadness. All families have times of love and times of extreme irritation with each other. That is part of life.

Do not give up on going to church!

Father, forgive me for neglecting your church family. Help me show kindness and forgiveness to others. Amen.