I’ve been walking with the Lord for most of my life. I’ve read His Words on the pages of His glorious Bible many times. I’ve noticed that even if you’ve read the same story over and over, He never ceases to give you a surprise. He works in us throughout the different seasons of our lives and meets us exactly where we are. This is how He teaches us. He takes something “familiar” and expands on it. He shows us depths of simple ideas that we never even knew were there! It’s actually extremely exciting! I love to find a “nugget” that I’ve missed over and over. It’s like getting a new glimpse into His heart.
So one day I’m reading chapter 2 of Genesis (which I’ve done many times), and the Lord brings my attention to a very interesting portion of scripture. Verse 18 (NLT) provides us with a peculiar statement. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.’” What?! Wait just a minute. Adam was alone? He was face to face with the Almighty God! This makes no sense. He’s not alone. He’s got God. That’s all he needs, right? According to Adam’s Maker – wrong! You see, the Lord knew it was only a matter of time before Adam would sin. He could no longer be in the very presence of God. He was going to need a friend. He would need companionship to do life with. Wow! My mind was blown. This is the very reason people were created to begin with. God wants us not only to fellowship with Him, but also fellowship with one another! We have the Lord, but we need support on this side of heaven.
Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” We literally make each other stronger. Where there is unity, there is safety. We need to look out for each other. We need to have each other’s backs at all times. There’s times when I’m down and I need a friend to lift me up. There’s times when my friends are facing hardship and they need me to come alongside them with encouragement. We need to pray for one another and we also need to hold each other accountable. God wants us to thrive in community.
“God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10) We don’t choose our gifts but we do choose whether or not to use them. The above scripture makes it clear that it’s actually more of a command than a suggestion to use your gifts. He says “use them well.” This sounds like He’s assuming you’re going to do your part. If you choose not to, I don’t believe your life will be as fulfilling as God has planned. He wants you to experience the pleasure of serving others. Oh, the Lord will get His Will accomplished. But, wouldn’t it be exciting to be involved with what the Creator of the universe is doing? Wouldn’t it be fantastic if He could count on us to help others in their time of need? He’s already equipped you for the situation before it even arises.
Jesus is our Lord. He should be our example to follow. He said in Matthew chapter 20 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many.” The Father equipped Jesus for His earthly mission and He has equipped you. Our “assignments” fortunately cannot compare with the ministry of Jesus and what He had to go through. The Bible says “Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross.” All we have to do is use our giftings with His attitude of willingness. This is what loving service looks like. He loves us and wants to bring us into His family of believers that will fellowship with Him and each other.
Life is hard. We, like Adam, need one another. Jesus has paved the way. He’s put certain people in your path that definitely need what you have to offer. He’s also put people in your life that offer you their gifts and talents. He’s designed community so we’re not alone. Yes, we have our Heavenly Father to meet all of our needs. But He also wants to meet needs through us. Be “Jesus” to someone. We are all part of His support team!
Today’s writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband, Robby and cat, Harold.
