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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're so glad to have

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Speaker 2: you as a listener. Today's topic is created for community.

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Speaker 2: We'll be right back with a brief message from our sponsor.

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Speaker 2: Created for community, written by Lara Bailey, read by Lara Bailey.

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Speaker 2: The Lord God said, it is not good for the

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Speaker 2: man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable

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Speaker 2: for him. Genesis two eighteen NIV. I could tell by

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Speaker 2: the slump in my daughter's shoulders as she walked towards

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Speaker 2: the car that something was wrong. The slaming of the

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Speaker 2: vehicle door, accompanied by aggressive sigh confirmed my suspicions. While

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Speaker 2: it's not unusual for my middle school daughter to offer

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Speaker 2: little to our conversation on our ride home, today it

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Speaker 2: was radio silent. As I turned into the driveway, I

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Speaker 2: told her we weren't going inside until we talked about

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Speaker 2: what was going on. I'm done with friends. I'm better

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Speaker 2: off alone, she exclaimed. My mama's heart immediately dropped. For

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Speaker 2: many years, we've avoided friendship drama, but I knew sooner

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Speaker 2: or later it would weasel its way into our lives.

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Speaker 2: As she regaled the events of the day, I nodded

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Speaker 2: my head in solidarity, held her in my arms and

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Speaker 2: tried to offer to no avail. Raising a middle school

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Speaker 2: daughter is tough words of comfort, holding back tears, she asked, mom,

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Speaker 2: why would they act this way? They're supposed to be

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Speaker 2: my friends, my Christian friends, who While the surface level

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Speaker 2: answer is not complicated to diagnose, the root cause of

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Speaker 2: conflict is a bit harder to digest. I think we've

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Speaker 2: all been there. I'm forty years old, and I still

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Speaker 2: ask the same question. Relationships are complicated no matter what

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Speaker 2: stage of life you're in, the reality is that our

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Speaker 2: relationship with other believers are, unfortunately some of the most difficult.

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Speaker 2: And if I'm honest, I've had this same sentiment as

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Speaker 2: my daughter. I don't need these people. I'm better off alone.

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Speaker 2: Especially when it comes to the church. Likely you don't

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Speaker 2: need to be convinced of the messiness of worshiping with

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Speaker 2: saints who act more like sinners. Like most things, it

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Speaker 2: is easier for us to focus on the negative aspects

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Speaker 2: of our churches than on the positives. During the season

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Speaker 2: I mentioned above, while there were people in the church

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Speaker 2: walls who caused me affliction, there were also members who

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Speaker 2: brought me great joy, comfort, and encouragement. While I don't

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Speaker 2: thank use the harm caused by fellow Christians, I must

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Speaker 2: also acknowledge that I've intentionally and unintentionally inflicted hurt on

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Speaker 2: my church family too. And just as I'd hope that

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Speaker 2: they give me the opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation.

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Speaker 1: I need to do the same.

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Speaker 2: And as we say in the South, don't throw the

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Speaker 2: baby out with the bathwater. Simply put mess and all

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Speaker 2: life is better together created for a community. We see

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Speaker 2: in Genesis one that God declares his creation good Genesis

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Speaker 2: one twenty five. However, when he created man, he proclaims

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Speaker 2: humanity is very good Genesis one thirty one. Humans are

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Speaker 2: the climax of the creation story, the most cherished possession

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Speaker 2: of the Lord. Created in God's image. We are the

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Speaker 2: reflection of our creator, and it's not just good, but

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Speaker 2: very good. However, God looks at Adam's singleness and declares

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Speaker 2: it's not good for man to be alone. Genesis two eighteen.

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Speaker 2: What was God's solution? A companion and as zaire in

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Speaker 2: the original Hebrew, a helpmate for Adam. With Adam and

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Speaker 2: Eves union, we see the first example of human community However,

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Speaker 2: the idea of living in a group is prevalent throughout Scripture,

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Speaker 2: as exemplified by the Jewish nation, a people set apart

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Speaker 2: by God Exodus nineteen three through six. While they had

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Speaker 2: an individual responsibility to keep these commands, God is addressing

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Speaker 2: the collective body of the Israelites. Think of it as

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Speaker 2: a built in accountability. God wanted the Israelites to understand

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Speaker 2: that they needed each other, not just meet their physical

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Speaker 2: needs or make life easier, but to strengthen and encourage

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Speaker 2: one another in the faith. Then in the New Testament

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Speaker 2: we see examples of early Christians gathered in community and

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Speaker 2: Acts two one through four and Acts two four two

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Speaker 2: through forty seven. Christians gathered while this spirit rested on

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Speaker 2: them individually corporately, they worshiped and praise the Lord in

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Speaker 2: The early Church grew because of its strong ties to

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Speaker 2: living in community in corporate worship. As tempting as it

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Speaker 2: might be to abandon corporate worship, walking away from worshiping

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Speaker 2: within community is not the answer. God created humans for community.

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Speaker 2: We need each other. Let's embrace the imperfect body of

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Speaker 2: believers as we stand united in the perfectness of Christ,

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Speaker 2: intersecting faith in life. Have you experienced the messiness of

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Speaker 2: human relationships? How does knowing God created you for community

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Speaker 2: help you to forgive offenses and embrace imperfect people with

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Speaker 2: grace and love. For further reading, check out Hebrews ten

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Speaker 2: twenty four through twenty five or what does the Bible

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Speaker 2: say about Love and Action?

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what

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