One Anothering

We read the phrase "one another" a lot in the New Testament. We are encouraged to serve one another (Galatians 5:13), forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32), and encourage one another (I Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24). In Romans 12, we are commanded to honor one another, be devoted to one another, and live in harmony with one another. We are told to "love one another" at least 10 times.

That's what discipleship boils down to: one anothering.

I had one of those days today. I hung out with one of my zone leaders for almost 4 hours. We had planned to meet for a little while to talk about some ideas she had for ministry. That turned into lunch, a walk, and some ice cream. It was a great day for me to do that because today was a pretty clear day schedule-wise. The past few weeks have been insanely busy, so I was planning to do some studying or brainstorming this afternoon. But spending time with Leslie proved to be the best possible way to invest the day. We encouraged each other and hopefully learned from each other. It was one-anothering. And I think it's probably pretty similar to what Jesus did with those 12 guys that eventually changed the world. But instead of eating fish while floating in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, we were eating Chick-fil-A at Ballston Common Mall.

It's the ministry of "being with" people. For those who are called to pastor, this is one of the most valuable things we can do.