You Need A Fellowship
I love fellowship. I grew up in a Baptist church, where we have regular fellowship potluck dinners. We had a fellowship hall. We were instructed to greet one another every Sunday morning for a two-minute "fellowship time."
I just recently discovered in Leviticus 3 that one of the Old Testament sacrifices was the Fellowship offering, where you brought your best animal to God just to celebrate the fact that you were at peace with Him and at peace with others. Beautiful. When you handed the animal to the priest, he would burn the best parts of it as a sacrifice to God and give you back your cooked animal, which you would then eat with other people. A beautiful fellowship meal.
I went to a Women's Fellowship meeting at my church two nights ago. It was so fellowship-ful. We enjoyed each other's company and ate apple pies and heard a wonderful message straight from the Lord.
Then, to top it all off, last night I watched the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. [PAUSE. If you have not seen this movie, this is a total spoiler. You should watch it today.]
Seriously, God is trying to tell me something.
And though I've seen that movie many times, last night it hit me differently. I noticed the fellowship like I never have before. I laughed at the characters in a new way. I thought of my own life and the relationships I have with each person in my own regular fellowship.
And I kept thinking: There had to be times that Frodo wanted nothing more than to get away from his fellowship. They were ridiculous. They were dangerous. And though he never yelled, "Aren't you supposed to be helping me?" you know that's what he was thinking because he sneaked away at the end.
But you need a fellowship. I need a fellowship.
The fellowship you have.
God gave you the fellowship you have right now for this season of your life. They are journeying with you though all He has planned for you. They are your friends, your helpers, and your personal army. You are Frodo. And you need the people of that fellowship.
Everyone needs a Strider. The brave warrior who has been through every land and knows what to be thinking and seeing and doing. When Galdalf died and everyone was in distress, he recognized their immediate danger and made them all get up. Was it compassionate? No. Was it necessary? Yes. Your Strider will tell you the truth when you don't want to hear it and fight your battles with bravery.
Everyone needs a Legolas. (My favorite character.) He says little, but he means it. He DOES NOT MISS with that bow. He's nimble, quick, and always thinking. You need that Legolas to not give in to drama or get overly-worried about something. You need to know there are prayers headed straight to heaven like well-shot arrows on your behalf. Your Legolas will not give in to what others think; he will be thinking for you and praying for you even if he's not all that talkative.
Everyone needs a Gimli. He's a little out there. He makes up for his size with his bravery. When the first fellowship gathering is talking about the need to destroy the ring, he jumps up and tries to smash it with his ax. He may be a little hot-headed, but he is faithful. There's no doubt about which side he is on. He famously says, "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox" as he walks into the sword of the warrior elf. Perfect. Your Gimli will answer your call at 2AM and fix a pot of coffee to go to battle with you.
Everyone needs a Gandalf. Older. Wiser. Full of knowledge of things you've never heard of. He's the one that will go study when you don't know the answers. Gandalf kept Frodo from certain death by finding out what the ring really was and got answers to what he needed to do. He saw things others saw and fought creatures that no one else had the tools to fight. He had perspective no one else had. Your Gandalf is your mentor, walking with you as your leader and your friend.
Everyone needs a Sam. The one who will keep you from yourself. He'll call you out when you're tempting disaster. The one who knows the very worst about you and still sticks close. The one who, when you've decided to ditch everyone else, will not let you leave alone. Your Sam is your lifelong friend, knowing your thoughts and your past and still loving you.
Everyone needs Merry and Pippin. Hard to believe, right? Because it seems like most of the trouble comes from these two hobbits. They blew Frodo's cover by telling his last name. They knocked the bucket into the well inside the mine. Their lack of seriousness is frustrating, especially to Gandalf. But they keep the mood light, keep spirits up, and they come through in the end when you really need them to distract your enemies. Your Merry and Pippin are the fun in your fellowship, and you need that, too.
Everyone needs a Boromir. You might question me here. But Boromir, though he was a great fighter, needed the Fellowship more than the Fellowship needed him. He had some mighty big issues inside him that he couldn't handle on his own. He didn't see his own darkness. He almost let his selfishness destroy Frodo. But he found redemption through the Fellowship, and they led him to truth. Your Boromir is the person God has called you to minister to, to lead, and to speak truth to.
The fellowship wasn't perfect or anywhere close to it. But it was exactly who Frodo got for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).
Do you have these characters in your fellowship? You need them. They need you. You were not made to go through this walk of life alone. You were made for fellowship (1 John 1:3), and you are complete when you live in fellowship. Are you missing a few pieces? Find them. You know each of the characters a little bit, but you've not gone out of your way to start a deep, intense relationship with them. So do it today.
They'll drive you crazy. They'll lead you astray. They'll make mistakes. But they are there for you, given by God, to be your blessing and your warriors and your companions.
You'll never make it to the end alone, Frodo. Go journey with your Fellowship.
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
@leslienotebook
If you haven't subscribed, PLEASE DO! Put your email address in the box at the top right. They'll send you an email to confirm. So easy :)
I just recently discovered in Leviticus 3 that one of the Old Testament sacrifices was the Fellowship offering, where you brought your best animal to God just to celebrate the fact that you were at peace with Him and at peace with others. Beautiful. When you handed the animal to the priest, he would burn the best parts of it as a sacrifice to God and give you back your cooked animal, which you would then eat with other people. A beautiful fellowship meal.
I went to a Women's Fellowship meeting at my church two nights ago. It was so fellowship-ful. We enjoyed each other's company and ate apple pies and heard a wonderful message straight from the Lord.
Then, to top it all off, last night I watched the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. [PAUSE. If you have not seen this movie, this is a total spoiler. You should watch it today.]
Seriously, God is trying to tell me something.
And though I've seen that movie many times, last night it hit me differently. I noticed the fellowship like I never have before. I laughed at the characters in a new way. I thought of my own life and the relationships I have with each person in my own regular fellowship.
And I kept thinking: There had to be times that Frodo wanted nothing more than to get away from his fellowship. They were ridiculous. They were dangerous. And though he never yelled, "Aren't you supposed to be helping me?" you know that's what he was thinking because he sneaked away at the end.
But you need a fellowship. I need a fellowship.
The fellowship you have.
God gave you the fellowship you have right now for this season of your life. They are journeying with you though all He has planned for you. They are your friends, your helpers, and your personal army. You are Frodo. And you need the people of that fellowship.
Everyone needs a Strider. The brave warrior who has been through every land and knows what to be thinking and seeing and doing. When Galdalf died and everyone was in distress, he recognized their immediate danger and made them all get up. Was it compassionate? No. Was it necessary? Yes. Your Strider will tell you the truth when you don't want to hear it and fight your battles with bravery.
Everyone needs a Legolas. (My favorite character.) He says little, but he means it. He DOES NOT MISS with that bow. He's nimble, quick, and always thinking. You need that Legolas to not give in to drama or get overly-worried about something. You need to know there are prayers headed straight to heaven like well-shot arrows on your behalf. Your Legolas will not give in to what others think; he will be thinking for you and praying for you even if he's not all that talkative.
Everyone needs a Gimli. He's a little out there. He makes up for his size with his bravery. When the first fellowship gathering is talking about the need to destroy the ring, he jumps up and tries to smash it with his ax. He may be a little hot-headed, but he is faithful. There's no doubt about which side he is on. He famously says, "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox" as he walks into the sword of the warrior elf. Perfect. Your Gimli will answer your call at 2AM and fix a pot of coffee to go to battle with you.
Everyone needs a Gandalf. Older. Wiser. Full of knowledge of things you've never heard of. He's the one that will go study when you don't know the answers. Gandalf kept Frodo from certain death by finding out what the ring really was and got answers to what he needed to do. He saw things others saw and fought creatures that no one else had the tools to fight. He had perspective no one else had. Your Gandalf is your mentor, walking with you as your leader and your friend.
Everyone needs a Sam. The one who will keep you from yourself. He'll call you out when you're tempting disaster. The one who knows the very worst about you and still sticks close. The one who, when you've decided to ditch everyone else, will not let you leave alone. Your Sam is your lifelong friend, knowing your thoughts and your past and still loving you.
Everyone needs Merry and Pippin. Hard to believe, right? Because it seems like most of the trouble comes from these two hobbits. They blew Frodo's cover by telling his last name. They knocked the bucket into the well inside the mine. Their lack of seriousness is frustrating, especially to Gandalf. But they keep the mood light, keep spirits up, and they come through in the end when you really need them to distract your enemies. Your Merry and Pippin are the fun in your fellowship, and you need that, too.
Everyone needs a Boromir. You might question me here. But Boromir, though he was a great fighter, needed the Fellowship more than the Fellowship needed him. He had some mighty big issues inside him that he couldn't handle on his own. He didn't see his own darkness. He almost let his selfishness destroy Frodo. But he found redemption through the Fellowship, and they led him to truth. Your Boromir is the person God has called you to minister to, to lead, and to speak truth to.
The fellowship wasn't perfect or anywhere close to it. But it was exactly who Frodo got for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).
Do you have these characters in your fellowship? You need them. They need you. You were not made to go through this walk of life alone. You were made for fellowship (1 John 1:3), and you are complete when you live in fellowship. Are you missing a few pieces? Find them. You know each of the characters a little bit, but you've not gone out of your way to start a deep, intense relationship with them. So do it today.
They'll drive you crazy. They'll lead you astray. They'll make mistakes. But they are there for you, given by God, to be your blessing and your warriors and your companions.
You'll never make it to the end alone, Frodo. Go journey with your Fellowship.
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
@leslienotebook
If you haven't subscribed, PLEASE DO! Put your email address in the box at the top right. They'll send you an email to confirm. So easy :)
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