It's Friday, Let's Celebrate

Friday's here, the end of another week. School's just around the corner way down here in the South, so I figured we'd better celebrate summer while we still could. This is when the kids were celebrating the dog's birthday, but I thought they could help us celebrate summer too.

We're back at it this week, and that means were back at our Bible study on Fridays. For those of you just joining us, it's week four. They're labeled so you can go back and see them all if you'd like. They are short and simple, a quick pick-me-up for the end of the week. We're on our fourth instruction from Romans 12:9-21, "give preference to one another in honor." By the way, I'm quoting the New King James version for this study.

Where do you prefer to be when it's church time? Are you going to worship willingly or out of duty? What about other days? Who do you prefer to be around when you're having a good time? Take a look at Philippians 2:1-3. "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." When we honor someone we have great respect for them and we regard them as more important. And, we can't have "humility of mind" when we are selfish and conceited.

Why do we have to show them honor and preference anyway? Verse 2 in Philippians tells us it's because these people have the same love, the same spirit, and the same purpose. How do we show preference? Go up to the beginning of the passage for some ideas. We should do it with encouragement, consolation, fellowship, and affection.

Church shouldn't be our duty, it should be our preference. We shouldn't have our "church friends" on one side and our "real friends" on the other. We should prefer to be with those we fellowship with. And when we tap into the joy and love available to us in other believers, or non-Christian friends will be more drawn to find out what they're missing.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend!