You the Lord and Who?

 

Pro 11:14  Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.  ESV

 

 

 

I don’t need to go to church, I don’t need to read the Bible, I don’t need anyone to help, I can do anything all by myself. Do you know anyone like that? Maybe to some degree you are like that…actually if we are honest with ourselves I think we can say that on some level we all are guilty of feeling this way. We have Jesus, and that is all we need.  Get out of my way because here I come.

 

While it is true the with Christ in your life there is nothing that you need that He will not provide………but read that statement again, there is nothing that you need that He will not provide.  One of the things that we overlook is the fact the Christ is constantly working in our lives. HE works out in the open where we can see, but He also works behind the curtain, where we have no idea what is going on. One of the most important things the Lord does for us, is to move people in and out of our lives, at a time when we need them, and they need us. Think of it as a huge clock, each wheel, arm, cog, and axel totally dependent on the other. There is not one piece in that clock that can fail to work, there is not one piece that can reach its full potential on its own.  This is how the Lord keeps us from failing. We stay together, we stay in sync, and we stay safe.

 

When we come to the highly popular idea that we do not need to go to church (I used to be one of those guys) we are setting ourselves up for failure. Church is not a place to go to hear a book report, punch your attendance card, then head back out into the world. It is a place of safety, it is a place where you can recharge your batteries, and most importantly find guidance, strength, and true friendship. Church is a building where we can find the living body of Christ inside. To say we do not need it is to rob ourselves of one of the safety nets that the Lord has provided us.

 

To say that you do not need to read the bible, is the equivalent of saying I know how to build a space shuttle, so I do not need the directions. Christ told us He would send the great counselor after He left the world, and He did just that. He sent the Holy Spirit, to reside in each of us. You will never hear the counsel more clearly that when you are reading the Word of God. Within the word you will find the counsel you long for, the direction you need, and the conviction to carry on, even when the rest of the world tells you to stop.

 

Most importantly, when we say we can do this all by ourselves, we would do well to remember God himself saw, and stated that it was not good for us to be alone. You can read throughout the Bible and see many examples where God specifically brought people together to go out and spread His word. Why do you think that is? We are not meant to walk alone, even with the Lord at our side, we need earthly help. The encouragement that can only come from a friend, the intimacy that can only come from a spouse, the guidance that can only come from a mentor, the call to righteousness that can only come from an enemy. We cannot walk this world alone, and this is what this scripture is reminding us of. Alone we will fall, but with God,  Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the love and support of friends family, and a solid Church body at our side, we surround ourselves with the safety that can only come in numbers.  To borrow a phrase from our lovely Government we truly become too big to fail!

 

 

God Bless,

 

Brian Thetford

 

The Ridge Fellowship

 

Psalm22

 

The Workweek With Christ