Stronger Together
Philippians 2:1-5 Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
None of us can make this faith journey alone. We are created in the Lord’s image, and our God is a relational God. The culture of the day tells us over and over through advertising and many other venues that we should make life all about ourselves. If anyone says something you disagree with, they’ve created an unsafe space, and must be stopped by any means necessary. God’s word says just the opposite. We are told that putting others first brings joy to the Lord.
Hebrews 10:24 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
One of the reasons we need to stand together is because of the enemy we face. In Ephesians 6, we are encouraged to put on spiritual armor, so we can stand against the spiritual forces of darkness. One of the pieces of armor that we are called to use in this battle, is the shield of faith.
Ephesians 6:16 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
These Shields were large, covered in animal skins, and dipped in water. On the side, they had grooves so that they could interlock with the other shields on each side, creating a wall of defense. When we stand against God’s enemy, we’re called to stand together. Who has your back? Whose back do you have?
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these scriptures?
