The Common Good

Have you ever come to a moment in life where you decided you needed more exercise? Maybe it was at the beginning of the year. A new season in life. Or maybe it was this morning after your second donut. Countless times throughout life we realize the need to get more active. But the hardest thing to do is to get moving. We make plans to get up before work and go for a walk, but then when the morning comes, it’s just so comfy that getting up sounds like the worst idea and we scold ourselves for upsetting our own sleeping schedules with that alarm we set the night before. Or maybe we finally decide to hit the gym. We go for a week or two, but then we’re tired one day and give ourselves a pass to skip. Skipping one day turns into another. After a week we stopped going all together. This is the story of so many across multiple attempts. The reality is though, even with our best intentions, we’ve made the journey so much more difficult because we, more often than not, tried to kick start our exercise all alone. It’s a personal journey to healthy living. What we haven’t figured out is that when we do the journey of exercise and fitness with someone else, we’re more inclined to keep up with it. Someone else is holding us accountable. Someone else is counting on us to be there for them.

This is also true for the life of faith. When we try to walk the road alone, there’s a good chance we’ll get lost along the way. But when we walk with other believers, there’s a benefit. Each person's life, struggles, and journey help each other grow in faith. It helps the Church fulfill the mission of God. The apostle Paul wrote it best saying, there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good  (1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NIV).

We’ve each been given gifts that are designed to help the body grow. They are given out by the Spirit of God for the common good of the Church (the people not the building). Each of our gifts are given to strengthen one another. To hold each other accountable. To push each other towards deeper faith. To grow the Church. There is power when we come together as believers in the common goal of growth.

How would you classify your faith journey this week? Are you trying to muster all the energy yourself to make the journey all by yourself? Or are you allowing yourself to be connected to other believers in the process of mutual growth? Do you need a spotter or a walking buddy? Someone who can help keep you motivated on the road of life? The Church is waiting for your gifts given for the common good. Why not plug in today to a local congregation and tap into the strength found in the body of Christ?