Sgt Grit Marine Forums

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

Each one of us needs other people to watch out for us – to defend us, protect us, and help us stay on track. In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul tells us that we should look out for each other's interests, not just our own. What a counterculture verse! In America today, it's all about me – my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions. But Paul teaches us to look out for others too.

Since September 11, 2001, Americans have been much more vigilant for each other as we are on the lookout for more terrorist attacks. But did you know you have an enemy far more destructive than terrorists? You have a personal enemy who wants to defeat you. His name is Satan. He wants to bring problems into your life, to ruin your relationships, and to hurt you as badly as he can.

Why does he want to hurt you? Because he wants to hurt God, but he can't – so he goes after God's children. On your own, you will never win against Satan. But when you have other people to watch out for you and help you, you can be victorious.

Here's good advice from Ecclesiastes 4:12: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves" (NIV).

Does anyone have your back? Is anyone defending you – watching out for your spiritual welfare? You need a community of people who are saying to you: "We'll be with you when you're going through the tough times. We're not going to let you get discouraged or depressed."

Community is God's answer to defeat. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him" (NIV).

Remember: You can try, but you can't live life well on your own. We all need other people – to walk with us, to work with us, and to watch out for us.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

As a pastor, I see situations daily that nobody should ever have to go through alone. Nobody should ever have to wait in the hospital while a loved one is in life-or-death surgery. No woman should ever have to wait alone for the lab report on a problem pregnancy. Nobody should ever have to wait for news from a battlefield alone. Nobody should ever have to stand at the edge of an open grave alone. Nobody should ever have to spend the first night alone when their spouse has just walked out.

Life's tough times and tragedies are inevitable – each of us will face them. But we don't need to go through them alone. We need God's safety net to help hold us up through these difficult times.

What is God's safety net? It is a group of other believers – a handful of people who are really committed to you. We call this kind of group a community. Here's God's plan for community: "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV). Community is God's answer to despair.

Romans 12:15 expresses a similar idea: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (NIV).

The first part of that verse is easy. When something good happens to someone, it's often easy to join in on the party.

But when someone is having a tough time, it can seem more difficult. But, really, it's simple. When you're going through a crisis, you don't want advice; you just want somebody to be there – to sit with you, hold your hand, put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with you.

As Paul tells us, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). Encouraging someone else doesn't always mean giving a pep talk or words of wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is just sitting in silence – waiting and weeping with a friend.

Do you have a safety net – a group of fellow Christians you know you can count on in life's toughest times? If not, go out today and begin building those friendships. The hard times in life are inevitable, and only a fool would go into them unprepared.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers. Click HERE for a free subscription to The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email. Missed out on one of the Daily Devotionals? Click here to view the online archives.