From the Home Place

Good morning to all. It is another beautiful day here in Wyoming, another day of working around the home place. I have to admit, I really do enjoy working alone on most projects, but there are those times when help is required. You know, those times when you really need another set of hands, or another back, or another point of view to get a task completed.

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that our Christian walk is very much the same way. Most of the time, we can work on it alone, yet it is absolutely imperative that each of us also have someone else to help us with maturing in Christ. Yes, we all need our personal quiet time, personal study time and personal prayer time, but equally as important is our time spent in community.

As Paul states, “every part of the body is necessary.” Without community with other believers, we miss the other “parts” of our spiritual body that are “necessary” for growth. It is true that “iron sharpens iron,” so we all need someone else to push us to becoming sharper for Christ.

Remember how Jesus prayed for His first disciples, “that they may be one just as We are one.” The fun element is that the word “one” here is actually plural. It speaks of a group that works together so well that they move as one, and we all need that kind of group.

Working on this ‘ol house has required that we have such a group. Men like Jeff, Max, Ty, Ryan, Lane, Dalton, and another Jeff and Ryan, women like Nancy and Deb have all worked hard as one group to get many difficult tasks completed. Without their help, I would still be working on step one of this remodel.

In a very similar way, we all need others to help us with our spiritual remodel. Do you have such people in your life? If so, be sure to acknowledge them – give them due credit for their part in your spiritual growth. If you lack a team to assist with your growth, why? Is it because you are a “lone ranger?” Remember, a burning ember will burn out if it stands alone. We all need spiritual teammates!

Each day as we work on this house, we share meals together, we enjoy water breaks together, we sweat together. Yep, the house improvement requires a team of “one.” So does our spiritual remodel. We all NEED the community of other believers if we are to grow and glow for our Savior!

Please realize, you need the other people that make up your community – your church family or your study group, and they need you. Every part of the body is “necessary!”

Serving Him together with you, Neal