{Limitless Life} What is Community?

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What is community? That is both an easy and difficult question. Community is where you live. It is made up of the people you share your life with. That is where it begins, but far from where it ends.

What community means to me opens up a whole new door on the subject. Community is everything. We are creatures who are not meant to live alone. We need the stimulation from others around us. We need to be challenged, supported, encouraged and loved.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) -- "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

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I love this verse... we need to stir each other up! We need to belong to a group of people where we are confident to be who we are. A group where, even if we mess up, we know we will be picked up and can move on together. We need to stop neglecting each other and judging each other. Community is about consistently coming together to experience life together, encouraging one another when times get tough, motivating each other when we get discouraged or lazy, and being an accountability friend when we are trying to break bad habits and create new ones. Community is doing life together.

John 15:12-13 (ESV) -- "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

That is our goal is life, is it not? To love like Jesus. He tells us in John that love means to lay down your life for your friends. That is powerful! And scary. It is a hard thing to give up our selfishness and put other's needs in front of our own. However, that is what love is...that is what community is. 

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What I need from community is a place where I can be myself, even when that doesn't fit into the traditional molds of denomination. I look to join with others who are searching, just as I am, for what it truly means to love like Jesus and lay your life down for your friends. 

I believe community is very important. I am not perfect, I will never claim to be. However, I can encourage you. I can lift you up when you are down. I can remind you of God's purpose for you when you become discouraged. I can love you and learn to love as Jesus does. I can walk with you through this hard, beautiful, crazy, inspiring thing we call life.

What is community? Community is love. 

I am excited to do life together.

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This article is inspired by a Bible Study with Proverbs 31 Ministries 

while reading Limitless Life by Derwin L. Gray.