Being Strong For Someone Else

Beloved,

First, thank you to all who made it out last night for the community meeting with Councilman Derwin Montgomery. It was a first step and, prayerfully, not the last. For those who did not make it, thank you for your prayers. We made some progress that will, hopefully, lead to more progress. We are striving to be a community church that desires to make a difference for God on behalf of those in the immediate community of Zion Memorial and not simply a church in the community that shows up predominantly on Sundays and Wednesdays. Please continue to pray for our collective guidance in making a difference for God and the cause of Christ as guided by the Holy Spirit.

You see, sometimes, you see someone struggling not thriving and they are not even coming close to striving, struggling to thrive. They are just struggling. When you see that, you can compare yourself to them and think that you are doing pretty good. In the eyes of the world, you may find agreement; but, in the eyes of God, seeing the failings and failures of others with indifference is a failure on your part as well.

You see, sometimes, you have to understand that as an alcoholic struggles with alcohol and a drug addict struggles with drugs, the battle to be waged is to help them to strive for sobriety where, on a daily basis, they are struggling to thrive against their addiction. For many, these are lifelong battles and they need the help of others to live victoriously.

We all need help from others to live victoriously. We all, sometimes, need for someone to be strong for us.

In knowing this truth, we should also be willing to, sometimes, be strong for someone else.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 15:1-2,

"We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor."

It is so easy to metaphorically have a blind eye and a deaf ear when it comes to the obvious problems of others. We can dismiss it as simply their problem.

But, as a child of God, we have to understand that sin was our problem and God made it His problem to be solved by His solution through Jesus the Christ.

We too ought to be Christ-like and seek to be the solution to some of the problems around us.

None of us can help everybody all the time; but, all of us can help somebody some of the time.

Do not run from the opportunity to be strong for someone else. In it, you may find your greatest joy, contentment and blessing.

Remember that ultimately, our best lived lives will never be about us. Our best lived lives will be about helping to make a difference in the lives of others for the cause of Christ.

Tonight at 6:30pm, for one hour, we will have our HOPE Wednesday summer mini lesson on "God and Me". I am excited about the time that we will have together. Come. Partake. Come to get stronger. And, be strong for someone else by bringing them too.

And, remember, God loves you and I love you too.

Be blessed,

Rev. Cain