Romans 1:12 - "that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine."
I pray you had a great 4th of July holiday and weekend. I sure did, and I had a great time remembering some other 4th of July weekends too.
One in particular that stood out for me was when I was eight. My family had gone to Florida for the first time. And one of the many things we took in was the July 4th auto race called The Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. I remember we paid for a spot on the track's infield so we didn't have the greatest view. In fact, of the two and a half miles of the track, we were only able to see about forty yards of the track. Ironically, in that small section of track, we got to see what, according to studies, everyone goes to see, namely, a wreck! But basically, if it weren't for the team of announcers on the radio, it would've been impossible for us to have a clue about the big picture of the race.
And so it is with life.
Even the most gifted overseers are really only able to see a segment of what's going on in life. Even they usually rely on some kind of advisory board to think together and consider the big picture.
For most of us, we can see a small section (maybe forty yards) of the "track of life", but there's so much more going on in the two-and-a-half-mile reality. It's very easy, though, to start thinking that the part we see is all that there is. And when our section becomes boring or accident-riddled, it's very easy to get discouraged and start to think that all of life is that way. This is why, in today's verse from Romans 1:12, God wants us to "be mutually encouraged by each other's faith". It is only through fellowship and conversation that we're able to see the bigger picture and be encouraged when things aren't going our way.
So amidst all that you have to do today, remember that there's more going on in life than your section of the track. Make time for people. Listen to each other. Together, consider others who are confined because they can't drive or they're hospitalized or imprisoned. Reach out to one another. Speak a word of encouragement to one another, telling of the great things that God is doing in various places and calling for faith in God's presence even when one segment looks boring or accident-riddled.
None of us can see the big picture by ourselves. That's why God gives us to each other, "that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Romans 1:12).
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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