Friday: Support in a Broken World
Read: Hebrews 10:24-25, Ruth 1:16-17
SOAP: Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
Devotion:
Bearing each other’s burdens is difficult work. Sometimes we do this literally: when a friend is moving, you might offer to help carry heavy furniture and boxes up and down stairs, into a moving truck, and unload everything at their destination. Sometimes these burdens are emotional or spiritual, like grief, fear, mental illness, or questions of faith. The work of bearing burdens can be tiring, and many of us face the temptation to give up. When we feel that we’ve already done so much for our friends by bearing physical, tangible burdens, we feel tempted to give up on their emotional or spiritual burdens.
But a good friend does not abandon their relationships. Just as the church is instructed to keep meeting even when it is difficult, and just as Ruth was faithful to Naomi even when she was not under any obligation to stay with her, we are called to support our friends. We can encourage one another to love God more truly and serve Him more faithfully by our persistent friendship. When it would be easier to give up on someone is exactly the crucial moment to show that our love comes from God, not ourselves. He is the source of our faithfulness to one another.
Prayer:
God, help me love my friends well. Show me who needs my support right now and show me how I can provide it with Your strength. Amen.