Thriving Together

It's time for another daily encouragement from Our Daily Bread devotional. Today's reading titled the writing together was written by Sochi Dixon. My husband Alan stood below the towering lights illuminating the athletic field is a member of the opposing team had a ball into the air with his eyes fixed on the ball. Alan ran full speed toward the darkest corner of the field and slammed into the chain-link fence.

Later that night, I handed him an ice pack. Are you feeling okay. I asked he rubbed his shoulder. I better if my buddies had warned me that I was getting near the fence.

He said teams function best when they work together. Allen's injury could have been avoided if only one of his teammates had yelled out a warning as he approached the fence. Scripture reminds us that members of the church are designed to work together and watch out for each other like a team in Colossians 3. The apostle Paul tells us that God cares about how we interact with each other because the actions of one person can impact the whole community of believers when we all embrace opportunities to serve each other fully devoted to unity and peace. The church flourishes. Paul instructed his readers in verse 16 to let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms and hymns and songs from the spirit. In this way we can inspire and protect one another through loving and honest relationships, obeying and praising God with grateful hearts driving together. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from Colossians chapter 3 verses five through 16 put to death. Therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, last, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived but now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and input on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here, there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the spirit singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Let's pray father God, thank you for using Scripture to instruct us your spirit to guide us in your people to keep us focused and accountable as members of the body of Christ.

We pray that we would shine as a beautiful example of your love and your power to a watching world.

Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries