Thriving Together 一起成长

[Dexu Xia]

Thriving Together

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  Colossians 3:15

My husband, Alan, stood below the towering lights illuminating the athletic field, as a member of the opposing team hit 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’d feel better if my buddies had warned me that I was getting near the fence,” he said.

Teams function best when they work together. Alan’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. 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 (Colossians 3:13–14). When we all embrace opportunities to serve each other, fully devoted to unity and peace, the church flourishes (v. 15).

Paul instructed his readers to “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” (v. 16). In this way we can inspire and protect one another through loving and honest relationships, obeying and praising God with grateful hearts—thriving together.

How can you share Scripture this week with others to encourage unity and love in the body of Christ? What does it mean for you to have “the message of Christ [dwelling] among you richly”?

Father God, thank You for using Scripture to instruct me, Your Spirit to guide me, and Your people to keep me focused and accountable.

一起成长

你们要让基督所赐的和平在你们心里作主，也为此蒙召，归为一体。—歌罗西书3章15节，和合本修订版

我的丈夫艾伦站在设有高耸照明灯的棒球场上。当对方球队的球员击出一个高飞球时，他的双眼紧盯着球，以全速跑向球场上最黑暗的一角，结果撞上了铁链围栏。

当晚回到家后，我递给他一个冰袋，问他说:“你感觉还好吗？”艾伦揉了揉他的肩膀，说:“如果当时我的队友能提醒我要撞上围栏了，或许我会觉得好受一点！”

的确，团队齐心合力才能发挥最佳效益。只要其中一个队友能够在艾伦冲向围栏时大声提醒他，那么他就不会受伤了。

圣经提醒我们，我们这些蒙召的主内肢体是一个团队，应当齐心合力，彼此照应。使徒保罗告诉我们，上帝在乎我们如何互相交流，因为个别肢体的行为会影响全体信徒（歌罗西书3章13-14节）。如果我们所有人都把握机会彼此服事，并竭力保持合一及和平的心，教会必然兴旺（15节）。

保罗教导他的读者，“当用各样的智慧，把基督的道理丰丰富富地存在心里，用诗章、颂词、灵歌，彼此教导，互相劝戒”（16节）。如此一来，我们便可透过爱和坦诚的关系，互相激励与警戒，以感恩的心顺从及赞美上帝，大家一起成长！

你如何以圣经的教导促进主内肢体合一与互爱？
“把基督的道理丰丰富富地存在心里”，对你有何意义？

天父上帝，感谢祢以圣经教导我，以圣灵带领我，
并藉祢的子民让我关注并履行应负的责任。