Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of images from the group, The Hollies, singing a popular song from the 70s, … He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, proclaiming the reality of Christians reaching out to help carry the burdens of our brothers/sisters in Christ … and for others in need as well.
Highlight Passage: Romans 16:1-2 [NKJV] …
1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.
… Paul exhorting fellow Christians to reach out and help those who had helped him.
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Highlight Context … Romans 16:1–4,13,21–23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul wanted others to help those who had helped him while in prison.
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Reference Passage #1 … Philippians 2:3-4 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul, passing on the charge to reach out and help others, … more than self.
Reference Passage #2 … 1 Thessalonians 5:11 [NKJV] … 1
1 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
… Others first!!
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Anne Cetas, told the story of an unselfish brother carrying his younger brother miles to raise funds for those, like his brother, with cerebral palsy. She wrote: In the summer of 2015, Hunter (aged 15) carried his brother Braden (8) for a fifty-seven-mile walk to raise awareness of the needs of people with cerebral palsy [see attached photo]. Braden weighs sixty pounds, so Hunter needed frequent rest stops where others helped him stretch his muscles, and he wore special harnesses to disperse Braden’s weight. Hunter says that while the harnesses helped with the physical discomfort, what helped him most were the people along the way. “If it weren’t for everyone cheering and walking with us, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. . . . My legs were sore, but my friends picked me up and I made it through . . . .” His mom named the arduous trek “The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.”
The message of that true story and from one of my favorite songs from 1970 by the Hollies, as well as from the letters of the Apostle Paul from prison, cited above, is clear, isn’t it? We need to ask ourselves if there’s anything we can do today to help others, rather than focusing on our own selfish desires.
Do I sense anyone else here who feels convicted besides me?
My Prayer Today: O, Heavenly Father, … Show me clearly where I can pick up the load and help someone carry their burden today, Lord. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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