Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Monday, 30
December 2013 – “Community Is God's Answer to Defeat”
“In humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
of the others.” Philippians 2:3b-4 (NIV)
Each one of us needs other people to
watch out for us — to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the
book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each
other’s interests, not just our own. What a counterculture verse! In America
today, it’s all about me — my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions.
But Paul teaches us to look out for others, too.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been
much more vigilant for each other as we are on the lookout for more terrorist
attacks. But did you know you have an enemy far more destructive than
terrorists? You have a personal enemy who wants to defeat you. His name is
Satan. He wants to bring problems into your life, ruin your relationships, and
hurt you as badly as he can.
Why does he want to hurt you? Because he
wants to hurt God, but he can’t, so he goes after God’s children. On your own,
you will never win against Satan. But when you have other people to watch out
for you and help you, you can be victorious.
Here’s good advice from Ecclesiastes
4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves” (NIV).
Does anyone have your back? Is anyone
defending you and watching out for your spiritual welfare? You need a community
of people who are saying to you: “We’ll be with you when you’re going through
the tough times. We’re not going to let you get discouraged or depressed.”
Community is God’s answer to defeat.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If either of them falls down, one can help the other
up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Remember: You can try, but you can’t live
life well on your own. We all need other people to walk with us, work with us,
and watch out for us.
Talk It Over:
·
Who are the people you would say have
your back or are looking out for you?
·
How do those people show concern for your
spiritual development and safety? How can you show the same concern for other
believers?
·
In what ways have you seen the power of
community defeat the attacks of Satan?
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Saddleback Community Church
1 Saddleback Pkwy
Lake Forest, CA 92630 United States
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