“LET US ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER.” —HEBREWS 10:25, NLT
Charles Spurgeon, the great evangelist of the nineteenth century, told the story of a woman who came to him claiming that her relationship with God was just fine, even though she saw no need actually to attend church. As she chattered away, he walked over to the fireplace in the room and, with the tongs, picked out a blazing coal.
He carefully set the coal on the hearth, all the while listening as she made her case. She noted his actions but failed to see their significance until he asked her to observe the coal. The once red-hot coal, separated from the warmth of the fire, grew colder and colder, sitting alone on the hearth. The significance of the lonely coal was not lost on his friend. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of a friend,” says the book of Proverbs (27:17).
Encouragement, discussion, accountability, and soul searching with other believers help us mature as Christians. Constructive critiquing can be a valuable gift between two friends. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).
We are members of the same family. God’s family! You can’t build a strong family unless its members spend time with one another. Families help each other in times of hardship and rejoice together in times of blessing.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25, NIV).
If you are out there trying to go it alone, I pray that you will reconsider. Don’t run away from the love, support, and encouragement that being part of a church can give you. I know that things happen that push people away. Christians are not perfect people. Like any family, we can hurt each other. You can find lots of things to criticize in any church, if you choose.
We can also bless one another. Part of the walk is learning to forgive, to overcome our human flaws, and to love one another. The truth of God is not changed, not one iota, by the failings of people.
He loves you and wants you to be blessed through His body of believers.
