TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel… Philippians 1:27
Listen: Philippians 1
TODAY’S MESSAGE
There is perhaps no greater illustration of “pulling together” than the story of the 1936 University of Washington men’s rowing team and their gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. Told brilliantly in Daniel James Brown’s book, The Boys in the Boat (and in brief here), eight young men pulled together as they tossed individualism overboard in the pursuit of a greater mission.
We have all seen and been a part of groups and teams where inefficiency reigns and people are not striving together. We experience it in our families, at our workplaces and on our sports teams. Regretfully, sometimes we even see it in the church. Rather than a well-oiled machine, the gears jam together and the machine grinds to a halt. The greater mission has been swamped in a sea of individualism. Especially critical for the church, our mission has eternal ramifications. Lives are in the balance and souls are at stake. It is essential we are all “striving together.”
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Today, in your Chair Time, look ahead to this weekend at Ada Bible. Write in your journal one thing you can do to pull together better. It could be to offer a word of comfort or encouragement, to serve with a better attitude, go out of your way to connect with someone new or offer to help someone in need. As you do, remind yourself of the greater mission in which you are involved.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
