Monday; October 24

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine about the future of Christianity. The young man is a current leader in the church, but much younger than me. I remarked that one thing that I see he will be dealing with in the coming decades is a generation of people who will need a lot of handholding. In essence, they will need a lot of encouragement and guidance as they navigate their spiritual journey. When I said it, I did so we a bit of satire in my voice. I mean, after all, American Christians in preceding generations have been known for being an independent sort – we were determined to find our own way and, when necessary, pull ourselves out of our own hard times. Yet, the more I got thinking about it, the more I realized that many of the Christian principles were designed for supporting each other and may be well suited for this generation. Paul wrote, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) and the writer of the Hebrew letter noted, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13). Over the last few decades, I have seen people venturing out on their own spiritual journey and often getting lost when left alone. If Christianity is built on the principles of love and fellowship, maybe we are on the cusp of a renewed interest in shared discipleship.

Let’s support one another along our mutual journey. When we do, we can truly appreciate the concept of the Christian body and the church family.

Think About It!

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