Stay Close

Stay Close

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 THESSALONIANS 5:11).

1 Peter 4:7-11

Reading

Me and a friend were catching a flight together. But she seemed a bit tired. When we got to the airport, she forgot to have her passport or her other documents handy. The check-in agent waited patiently, smiled and then had to help her find her reference number—which she’d also forgotten! After getting her ticket, she asked, “Where do we go next?” The agent smiled again, pointed at me and said, “Stay close to your friend.”

That’s good advice for all of us when we’re struggling to keep on top of things—stay close to your friends. Although Jesus is our best friend, we also need our school friends, family and church to help us stay on track.

In his first letter, Peter wrote to Christians who were suffering because they were following Jesus. He told them that they needed one another during this difficult time. In a few short sentences in chapter 4, Peter said they needed to pray for one another, “love each other deeply” and “offer hospitality” (1 PET. 4:7-9). He also reminded them to use their gifts to serve one another (V.10). In other passages, we’re encouraged to comfort each other with the comfort we’ve been given by God (2 COR. 1:3-4) and to build each other up in love (1 THESS. 5:11).

When life gets difficult and we get tired, worn down or fed up, staying close to our Christian friends will help us to get through.

Thinking it over…

How does it make you feel to know that God sees you every moment of every day? How might thinking about this change some of the ways you spend your time?

STAYING CLOSE TO GODLY FRIENDS, HELPS US STAY CLOSE TO GOD.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries