Brothers and Sisters in Christ

In True Life, we just did a study on accountability. The Lord has been teaching me a lot this year about our need for each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Our need to uphold each other in prayer and encouragement. To hold each other to a standard and lovingly push each other toward Christ. Because of my godly brothers and sisters I feel so rich. I was at a regional Kingsway Youth Leadership meeting this past week and Robert Mearns said, "Your friends are your wealth." I have to testify to that. Because of the relationships that I have been blessed with, I have desired to pursue God more in every area of my life.

On the way to the Kingsway meeting, I was reading a new book called The Wisdom of Tenderness by Brennan Manning (Excellent author! Check him out! Ruthless Trust, Ragamuffin Gospel, etc...)
Anyway, the following exerpt came from that book:

To say, "Abba, Father" in the Spirit is to say that we're children. It's to acknowledge that other people are our brothers and sisters in the human family. This understanding affects our lifestyle because it implies acceptance of others and responsibility for other: we do our best to give family members whatever they need. This familial relationship is to be taken literally, for it's a thing of flesh and blood in the bond of the Holy Spirit. True Christian community is the realization and actualization of "Our Father in Heaven."