Daily Devotional Feb. 1, 2023

Posted on Feb 1, 2023 in Pastor's Blog |

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10, ESV).

The developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson, once wrote:

“Life doesn’t make any sense without interdependence.

We need each other, and the sooner we learn that the better for us all.”

Nature has learned this lesson. Consider the sequoia redwood tree.

Redwoods are some of the largest trees in the world. At the age of 2,500 years, the General Sherman located in Sequoia National Park stands at a height of 275 feet and is twenty-five feet in diameter. This giant spectacle of nature has withstood gale-force winds, earthquakes, fires, and raging floods.

Ironically, the redwood has no tap root to anchor it deep into the earth. Instead, redwood trees grow in groups. Their shallow roots descend on average of six to twelve feet beneath the soil. The trees’ roots intertwine with one another as a means of holding each tree in place. Their interconnective system allows the trees to share necessary nutrients to stave off fungi, insects, and viruses that pose potential harm.

Like the redwood tree, human beings need one another to survive. God claimed that it is not good for individuals to exist in isolation. Jesus’ disciple and close friend, Peter, encouraged members of the church to share with each other the unique gifts God has granted to each of us. This means of interdependency allows the entire community of faith to thrive.

As much as I have appreciated the ways in which livestreaming and Zoom have enabled the church to move forward in ministry throughout the recent pandemic, electronic media has its limitations. None of us can engage in service to each other completely from a sofa in one’s home. Nor can a phone call take the place of a face-to-face conversation with someone who is struggling with loneliness.

The truth is that the light of Christ shines the brightest when we work and worship side-by-side and hand-in-hand. Like a mighty redwood forest, the church has risen above numerous trials and temptations, both from within and without, because individual Christians have stood together as one. They were not always uniform in thought, but they remained unified for the mission of Christ.

John Wesley and George Whitehead often disagreed with one another’s views. Yet during the eulogy he wrote for his friend, Wesley said of Whitehead:

There are many doctrines of a less essential nature. In these we may think and let think; we may ‘agree to

disagree.’ But, meantime, let us hold fast the essentials.

Whitehead and Wesley were not always of the same mind. However, they discovered an unrelenting love that bound them heart-to-heart.

The hard fact is we need each other. And the sooner we in the church learn this lesson, the better off the world will be.