Christians Helping Christians

• Who in your church can you help this week? What can you do?

• What do you suppose non-Christians think when they see Christians supporting one another?

Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:18

If becoming a Christian meant a person would never experience pain again during their life on earth, Christianity would be about ten thousand times more popular than it is now. But Christianity offers no such guarantee.

What our faith does offer, though, is support and encouragement. The Bible makes it clear that believers are all brothers and sisters in Christ. And when someone is hurting, who better is there to have near than family?

Of course, those bonds don’t form overnight. They take time. The more time we spend with other believers — at church, at work, at school, in the neighborhood, at Bible study—the stronger our connection becomes. The better we get to know people, the more we become invested in their lives. We rejoice when they rejoice. We hurt when they hurt. And we feel motivated to come alongside them in the midst of their hurting.

If you know a Christian who is hurting, you can be an answer to prayer in that person’s life. You can encourage your friend in the faith, help out with things that need to be done, pray with him or her, and provide an all-important listening ear.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for surrounding us with fellow believers to comfort us when we’re hurting. Bless our efforts to help other Christians who are hurting so that we may show the world what it means to follow you. Amen.