Independence vs. Interdependence wk.12-6

Grayson Peace, beloved. Today is Wednesday, March 25th, 2026. My name is RJ and it's

my honor to welcome you to another episode of God is Faithful and just, with a

focus on all things relational. And again, family, we like to ask the question,

how are you? How are things going with you? Are you well? Are you contending with the

world? Is the Holy Spirit opening your mind and your heart to see things the

way he sees things? To redirect your attention to the things that are above,

not the things that are in this world because, you know, as my daughter in

Grayson, I was watching something together on yesterday or the day before

concerning social media and it talked about the different, not benefits, but the

lack thereof, the different disadvantages, if you will, that one person has, that

is attached to social media compared to the person who is not. You know, one of

them is distractions, you know, social media and the things in this world, you

know, it continues to distract one, it keeps your mind on the tangible, instead of

the intangible, keeps your mind on the visible, instead of the invisible, and if we

know when it comes to our fight and our warfare, then our fight is not

against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers and high

places, dark places, wickedness. If we know that it's how our fight is, how much

more can we deduce from the things that we interact with daily? It may not seem

like it's a fight or a war when it comes to, I guess, like, say, let's just

watch a TV or interacting with someone going to work or coming from work or

at work. You know, these things in and of themselves may seem innocent, and then

in a moment, they likely may be, but what we need to ascertain is what is

the depth behind what is going on in that moment. What is the underlying, or

the underlying emphasis that could cause us to be detoured or taken off the

course that the Lord has prepared for us to remember the work that God has

before or day that we should walk in. We want to be in alignment with that. We

don't want to be distracted at any moment to where it's taking time away from

what the Lord our God is doing. So in your daily walk family, keep in mind what

you're listening to, conversations that you're having. Remember we're walking

towards resurrection Sunday as well. We want to stay focused on the things of

God so that we could be in alignment because remember the place of

agreement is a point of power. It's a place of power. So we want to be in

agreement and alignment with God's word. It would bat what he's doing so that we

can exercise the power that he has imputed unto us. Father God, we thank you

today. We bless and praise your holy name. You are worthy to be praised. As we turn

to you Lord God another day, another opportunity to receive of you to hear

from you. We do so God knowing that you have a plan and a purpose for us. You

have a work that we are to walk in and walk out. You have before or day in this

work that in Christ Jesus we might be or who you've called and created us to be.

This is your desire. This is our desire now Lord God. That we might be one with

you that we might not only acknowledge your presence but yield to your

presence, yield to your will and your way so that in doing so we are empowered by

that which you have before or day in for us to exuberate to to to exemplify to

carry out. So we're thankful that as we look forward to receiving this day

our daily bread, it will cause us to be all that you've created as to be. We love

you. We honor and praise you. And it's in the mighty magnificent name of

Jesus our Lord. We offer this prayer. Family indeed. God is truly good. Our

scripture to remember this morning throughout this week to meditate and to

live out has been John 1721 a prayer of Jesus the Messiah praying to the Father.

He says that they may all be one just as you Father and me and I and you that

they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. And

again remember our structure our framework we've been taken we take a

scripture and we break it apart and we allow that scripture to to give us

based on the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding give us concepts and contrasts

and comparison. So yesterday we were at the end of this particular verse 21

never going to go back to the beginning. So the concept in the contracts the

Lord has or the contracts and the comparison that the Lord has given us from

this verse today is independence versus interdependence. And we're taking like

I said the part from the beginning with Jesus says that they may all be one. This

is the beginning of the verse 21. In this family again it coincides with our

focus on resurrection Sunday. I would need to to understand the

culmination and significance of Jesus given his life to reconcile our

relationship with the Father as well as with one another. We have already

established for the past two days that Jesus had a multipurpose for his

sacrificial act of love on the day of the cross resurrection Sunday. His

his purpose was to redeem our relationship with the Father and with one

another, interdependence, not independence. Jesus didn't go to the cross to

create isolated believers. He went to the cross to create a family, a people of

community shaped by his love and empowered by his spirit. You know life

under God it often leads to independence. Things like I'll carry my burdens

alone. I'll fix myself. Yeah I'll be strong. Yeah I'll be strong for God. I'll

need to burden God. I'll be strong. He's given me all that I need. I'm good by

myself. He can sit back and rest. No God is active and at work. And the

cross family it exposes the limits of independence. Even Jesus himself and his

humanity leaned on his disciples and gets them any. Remember when you know

hours before the crucifixion when he went out to get somebody to pray he

brought the disciples with him and he asked them to watch and pray with him. He

modeled interdependence, not independence. Life with God means we walk

together, sharing burdens, praying for one another, encouraging one another,

forgiving one another, and most of all loving one another family. The

resurrection forms us into a people who who are connected, not isolated, a

people who reflect the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A people who

who show the world what divine love looks like in human relationships. My Lord

my God as we said on yesterday they will know you are my disciples but the love

you have won toward another. So as we journey family throughout life and in

particular toward Easter or resurrection Sunday that's coming up. Allow these

truths to settle in your heart and that is the risen Christ forms a risen

community. We rise together, we walk together, we grow together, we share

one another's burdens. If one sorrows we all sorrow, one rejoice we all rejoice. Allow

the essence of what community unity and one is meant to Jesus then and I guarantee

you will understand how vital it is to us now. The two postures first the

contrast to compare concerning independence versus interdependence are life

under God versus life with God. Life under God says we walk alone, carry burdens

alone, pray alone. Life with God says we walk together, carry burdens together

and pray together. The scripture that the Holy Spirit has given us to flesh out

this concept of independence versus interdependence is Galatians chapter 6 verse

2 it says you guessed it bear one another's burdens and we will read this

portion of scripture this morning from the NLT the new lemon translation we

reading verses 1 through 10 Paul notes dear brothers and sisters if another

believer is overcome by some sin you who are godly should gently and humbly

help that person back onto the right path and be careful not to fall into the

same temptation yourself share each other's burdens and in this way obey the

law of Christ if you think you are too important to help someone you are only

fooling yourself you are not that important pay careful attention to your own

work yes for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done and you

won't need to compare yourself to anyone else for we are each responsible for our

own conduct those who are taught the word of God should provide for their

teachers sharing all good things with them don't be misled you cannot mark the

justice of God you will always harvest what you plan those who live only to

satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that

sinful nature but those who live to please the spirit will harvest everlasting

life from the spirit so let's not get tired of doing what is good at just the

right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't give up therefore

whenever we have the opportunity we should do good to everyone especially to

those in the family of faith glory hallelujah thank you for your word dear God

friends family this chapter Galatians verse two six six two in particular it

it calls us to bear one another's burden family this this is family this is

resurrection life in action the cross it reconciles us to God the resurrection

binds us to one another this indeed is the oneness that Jesus prayed for in

chapters 17 of the gospel of John portion of scripture that we're focusing on

this week Jesus prayed for community family not isolated believers life for

God means we learn to lean on one another to confess to one another to encourage

one another support one another and to forgive one another the cross that only

reconciles us to God it reconciles us to each other so reflect on this family

where do I need to let others into my journey who is God calling me to walk

with more intentional and let this be a challenge for the day that you pray

with someone 30 seconds a minute two minutes pray with someone glory hallelujah

thank you Father God for your word this morning let it be a fruit in our hearts

and in our soul let you might get the honor of the praise and the glory and the

mighty magnificent name of Jesus our Lord family let us not forget that Jesus has

called us to be one with another and in doing so be a blessing also to those

around you grace and peace be with you and we look forward to being with you

here again on tomorrow