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Dale Saylor | Pastor, Spiritual Maturity

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Galatians 6:3

When we relent and finally accept that we’re designed for community with others, we nearly always start with the wrong criteria for choosing which people. We often plot and single out folks that are cool or rich or connected or well-educated or who’d be good to know from a work perspective. And, if we don’t fall into those traps, we choose people that are just a lot like us. We each think, subconsciously almost, “If I’ve got to devote myself to a handful of other folks, I’m going to make sure they have some strategic value to me—worldly value, to my career or to my social standing—or, at the very least, they’re people who won’t challenge me or make me uncomfortable.”

Such plotting is a mistake. It’s driven by pride—that we somehow know better than God how these communities should come together. We must instead follow the blueprint given us by our King, Jesus Christ. He never once used this “strategic value” analysis. Throughout the Gospel, he spent time with people who God the Father wanted him to know—people with whom it made no sense to spend time, from a worldly perspective. Adopting this blueprint, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight…” [Romans 12:16].

So what do we do? Start by praying that God will connect you with others who are willing to commit, surrender, and be willing to be transparent.

The group that you find may be nothing like you expect… and that’s good. The groups we create ourselves, based on worldly criteria, aren’t worth our time. The groups that God creates for us are worth everything! Make an effort to get connected.

Stay faithful and finish strong!