Forge Fellowship // Manhood Requires Brotherhood day 1

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

9 9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Really struggling to push through today in a Godly mentality. Spent the majority of my month being a slave to the anxiety my home creates and doing chores and so the last thing I wanted to do was to attend lifegroup when I could rather spend my time with people I enjoy. My attitude clearly reflected this, as it is every week and they've seen me this way so many times they probably didn't notice it. I really feel distant and rebellious from God every attendance so I just feel drained afterwards. 

I'm always feeling depressed after lifegroup partly due to the time that is wasted and the good relationships that I fantasise but become too cautious to initiate. Ironically, I decide to start this reading plan and the first devotional already hit me. By my paranoia, not trusting anyone I am serving my own selfish comfortability rather than serving others in fellowship. I am not placed in God's kingdom to stay comfortable but to genuinely seek Him and worship him even when my selfish desires don't want me to. God designed His Church or companionship, for intimacy, for vulnerability. I'm not any of those.

1 John 2: 1

1 John 2: 1 -  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Hey everyone, thank you all for the efforts made this bible plan, your words have been very encouraging! I hope we can continue holding each other accountable :) ty
As for me, this is probably the most personal devotional. Jesus received and defeated the punishment that we deserve, shouldn't that be enough to make us live out the rest of our days in gracious service? But despite us believing in our salvation, not all of us are joyful. Ironic? I know i'm not the only one here who feels personal disgust and regret from previous and current life choices. On the rare occasion, I can sometimes break down crying! How could God forgive me despite the countless people I've hurt? When I feel this way, I always reflect on this quote
He who is most deeply abased and alarmed, by the consciousness of his disgrace, nakedness, want, and misery has made the greatest progress in the knowledge of himself. - Jean Calvin

We should reflect on 1 John 2:1 when we can get a little depressed. Praise God!

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Ecclesiastes 7:20: Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins

King Solomon despite all of his mighty achievements came to realise that his hedonistic life choices had detrimental effects on his spiritual life, and thus understood something that is so detrimentally important to our Faith, everyone is broken, even the wise. I have this mentality in which I assume that particular people who imitate Church culture better than me won’t disappoint me/stumble. This higher expectation of them leaves me with an unbiblical view that they probably have a better standing with God. Stupid right? So instead of being offended, I should much rather be concerned and pray for them, walking in fellowship with them.

John 13:8

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” - John 13:8                                      

Unless we submit to jesus, recognising that we’re just as broken as the next person, we will never learn humility.
While I personally accept this as fact, I don’t do anything about it as I fear my pride getting hurt again. But holding grudges or remaining protective doesn’t produce any sort of benefit in God’s kingdom. He values restored relationships, so he expect us to live in continual reconciliation with each other. Tbh most if not all of us are heaps ceebs when it comes to this as it is a scary journey to be disappointed by people over and over again, but we should be looking at God’s approval and not our own.

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:26-27 was a good reminder especially since some of us are going through a transitional phase due to capetown preperation. What Paul tells us is to deal with our anger in an immediate fashion so that we may maintain/build relationships rather than crippling them.   Because when we nurse our anger, we become vulnerable to satan. If we adapt this self control and willingness for team unity, then we can prevent trivial distractions from within our ministry in order so that we way focus on God's glory.

Revelation 22

20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."

We will never know the hour or the day, but what we do know is that when Jesus comes it'll catch the world off guard. This would happen at any moment, and we must be ready for Him, always prepared. This would mean for us to be a witness for Christ to our environment and having an intimate relationship with Him. For us who are His own this is good news, one second closer to eternal union with God. Our efforts to contribute and better our community is important however our results cannot compare with the transformation that Jesus will bring when He returns.  

Revelations 21

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
My life up till now filled so many melancholy periods and disappointments that this can seem like a distant fantasy. I honestly wonder to myself, "Do I really believe in a place like this? More importantly, do I act like I believe in it?" I get caught up in my anxieties and insecurities too easily, and don't look to God or the future with admiration enough. There will be no pain, death, sorrow, these are things to look forward to and I hope I can start living like it.