21 Days of Praise: Day 16 - United in Praise

Welcome to Day 16 of our #21DaysofPraise series! Today, we celebrate the gift of community and the blessing of Christian fellowship. God has designed us to live in community, to support and encourage one another in our faith journeys.

Praise for the Church & Christian Community

Lovely people.

I love the church. Like, I mean, genuinely love the church. I was one of those who missed attending physical church services during the compulsory lockdown to combat Covid-19 in 2020 (the gist is here). 

Verse of the Day: Hebrews 10:24-25

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” — (NIV)

“Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.” — (TPT)

Today, I’m genuinely thankful for the church community that God has placed in my life.  

Each week during services, I look around and see people I love, people I’m proud to know as my church family. There are those who are always faithful and joyful – no matter what, and others whose faith has grown through hard times. I see beautiful children who were ‘miracle babies’, born with little chances for survival, but praise God they are still here and doing well! 

I see people who have overcome traumatic experiences, personal set-backs, financial hardhips, and broken relationships. Other people come with consistent hope that their spouse or other loved ones will come to know the Lord. Some have overcome cancer and other serious illnesses. Sadly, others are the survivors of those who did not receive physical healing here on earth, but received eternal spiritual healing instead. Lord, thank You for these people.

People measure churches by what they get from them, by how popular they are, by the size of their budgets and by their impressive programs. But those are not the measure of a true church as God describes it in His written word. They are using the wrong ruler. This church is called “the body of Christ” here on earth (1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 4:12). It’s not His physical body. The church is His tool, the arms and legs that declare His truth and glory, that worship Him, that love Him, and carry out the work He gives the church to do here on earth.

Reflecting on my journey, I am deeply grateful for the church and Community at large. They help me employ my gifts and expressions and seek to use it on a global scale.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of community and the fellowship of believers. Your design for us to live in community provides support, encouragement, and love. I praise You for my church family and the ways they have blessed and strengthened me. Help us to continue to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, meeting together and encouraging one another. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Your Turn:

How has the Christian community impacted your life? Reflect on a time when your church family or a fellowship group supported you in a meaningful way. Share your stories in the comments or on social media with the hashtag #21DaysofPraise.

As we praise God for so many things, we shouldn’t forget to praise him for his church. That state of heart should lead each of us to be a more active and living part of the body.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stay inspired.

Stay positive.

Stay be-YOU-ti-ful.

Posted by Nwamaka Onyekachi
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Heart Rays. . . giving light.