Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.” Proverbs 18:1 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “You need others and others need you.”
In the beginning Adam was all alone in the Garden of Eden. But God declared that it was not good for him to be alone, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18). From that point forward the entire Bible is a story of companionship and community. It is all about relationships with God and with others.
It wasn’t good for Adam to be alone then, and it’s not good for us to be alone now. Human beings are relational by nature. God created us to be together. We so need the companionship of others that Solomon says that the person who isolates him or herself is rebelling against sound judgment.
But Solomon also writes in that verse that such isolationism is selfish as well. In other words, the isolated person is thinking primarily of themselves and not of others. The implication is that not only is it not good for us to be alone, it’s also not good for others to be alone and we have a responsibility to ensure they are not alone. The way we do that is by being there for them.
People who isolate themselves weaken community. They weaken families, they weaken neighborhoods, and they weaken churches. That’s why in Hebrews 10:24-25 the writer urges his readers, “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
According to Solomon in Proverbs 18:1, and the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in 10:24-25, skipping church is not only unbiblical but it is also selfish. Not only are you supposed to be there for you, and not only are you supposed to be there for God, but you’re supposed to be there for others too. Not only do you need the companionship and community that comes from believers gathering together, but so does everyone else. When you skip church you have diminished the gathering and that hurts others.
Also, attending church is not just about what you will get out of it, but it is also about what you will put into it. You go to church in order to offer your worship to God in a group setting, and you go so you can be there to bless and encourage others. Isolating yourself is actually an act of selfishness. You need others, but others also need you. I encourage you to attend your church this Sunday.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 