v 13. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Here is part of the reason for doing things together. Some of us go through hard times when we feel weak and vulnerable; the life of faith seems a distant reality and we are liable to fall over and miss God’s way for us.
It is God by His Spirit who sustains our lives, but He often uses others in the Christian community to help us through these difficult times. It is as we walk together that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
The fellowship of God’s people is a supportive community. It is also a correcting, direction-pointing and life-long learning community. Temptation will sometimes assault us, and our tendency to become self-sufficient individuals without reference to other people will lead us in wrong directions. So God has put us in communities where we can encourage and strengthen one another. Our own Church Growth Groups could equally well be called ‘Encouragement Groups’ or even ‘Support Groups’ because all these things happen when we are together. They are much more than Friendship Groups in that they have learning, growth and encouragement aims.
If you don’t belong to such a group, it’s certainly worth joining one; God’s plan for us is to be in it together as disciples of Christ.
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