Social Distancing Keeping it Together

Social Distancing

Keeping it Together

Social Distancing is keeping us apart Physically

So how do we keep it together Socially   

The Apostle Paul was limited to the length of his prison chain

He did not let the distance stop him from

Devotion to prayer

Reaching out to his friends and loved ones with encouragement

And making opportunity to wisely answer the questions of others

We too need to keep it together  

Social Distancing should not relationally distance us

From God loved ones and others

What are you doing today to keep relationships together?

Keeping it Together

Social Distancing is keeping us apart

I miss my kids and grandkids

coming over after church on Sundays.

I miss Sunday mornings at church.

I miss getting together with friends.

I miss going out in public

and interacting with people.

With all the distancing how

do we keep it all together?

The Apostle Paul was a good example

of how to keep it together when you

are confined to social distancing.

Technically speaking, the Apostle Paul was under

arrest for about five years during his ministry.

Although about two and one half years of

this period was spent in a literal prison cell

 The rest was spent either under house

arrest or being escorted by a Roman soldier

from Jerusalem to Rome.  

Here are three things Paul did to keep it

together while confined to Social Distancing…

1.     Prayer

2.     Kept in contact with those in his life

3.     Acted in wisdom with people he did not know

Paul talked about prayer as

something to be “devoted” to.

Paul said about prayer…

 “Be watchful and thankful.”

Let me start with being

“Thankful” because Psalms 100 says…

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalms 100:4-5

God whose love endures forever

and His faithfulness is to all

generations gives us a lot to

be hopeful and thankful for.

When Jesus teaches us how to pray, He also

tells us to start our prayers with thanksgiving.

 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Matthew 6:9

When we say hallowed be your name,

 we are not making God more holy

or purifying Him because He is and

cannot be any more holy or hallowed.

One of the greatest examples of this

 is found in Revelation 4 when the

24 elders are seen standing before God.

 

Day and night they never stop saying:

"Holy, holy , holy

is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and is, and is to come."

Whenever the living creatures give glory,

honor and thanks to Him who sits on the

throne and who lives for ever and ever,

10 the twenty-four elders fall down

before Him who sits on the throne,

and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.

They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being."

Revelation 4:8-5:1

Imagine the throne of God…

 And one by one you move from one elder

to another and see from 24 different

positions a different facet of the glory of God.

Why do they do it day and night?

 Because the revealing of God’s glory never ends.

The glory of God’s creation and how He

holds it all together is forever unfolding to us.

When our prayers start with thanksgiving,

we focus on His glory, goodness and grace.

Most of us get our information from the media as we

watch for what is happening in the world around us.

When we devote ourselves to prayer with

thanksgiving we are watching for how God

sees things from His Kingdom of Heaven.

This perspective gives us hope and courage.

Paul kept in contact with those in his life.

From Paul’s confinement of prison, he

wrote letters to the saints at Philippians,

Philemon, and Colossians and maybe more.

Paul kept encouraging his social friends even

though his chains keep him at a distance.

I am sure Paul would have used the phone,

Facebook, emails, letters and zoom to

stay in touch and give encouragement

if he had what we have today.

Paul acted in wisdom with people he did not know.

 

Paul kept the main thing the main

thing, “The mystery of Christ”.

But Paul knew he had to be wise in the way he

communicated the message to those outside the faith.

One of my greatest frustrations is to see

someone in need and not know how to

use that opportunity to show them how

Christ is the answer they need.

For Paul to say…

“Let your conversation be always full of grace”

…causes me to think.

Paul had a lot of people treat him wrong.

He was abused by people, yet he did

not want any room for bitterness or

anger, but to be “Full of Grace”.

Paul was like a cook who never put the

meat on the grill without seasoning.

Paul took time to bring out the

flavor of his conversations.

His words were not just words.

Like the Psalmist says…

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalms 34:8

Paul’s conversations caused people to want more. 

We, too, can be successful when

confined to Social Distancing.

If we…

 

Devote ourselves in prayer to

watching and thanksgiving.

Keep in contact with those in our life –

Reach out to encourage others daily

Hebrews 3:13

Acted in wisdom with people we do not know

– Show grace and seasoning with your answers.

Social Distancing is keeping us apart Physically.

So how do we keep it together Socially?

  

The Apostle Paul was limited to

the length of his prison chain.

He did not let the distance stop him from…

Devotion to prayer.

Reaching out to his friends and

loved ones with encouragement.

And making opportunity to wisely

answer the questions of others.

We too need to keep it together.

 

Social distancing should not relationally

distance us from God loved ones and others.

What are you doing today to keep relationships together?

Scripture Reading

Colossians 4:2-6 NIV

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.