No Man Is An Island

No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.

Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

These famous words written by John Donne can be a powerful reminder of the importance of community.

Of course, we have many Bible verses that can take us to the same conclusion.  For example:
     "And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds."
                    Hebrews 10:24
     "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another."
                    Romans 12:10
      "Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." 
                    Galatians 6:2

We need one another.

We need one another to build a community.  We need one another for accountability, to share love, and to help carry burdens.  We need each other to experience encouragement (I Thessalonians 5:11).  We need this community to show value to one another (Philippians 2:3).  We need each other so that we can show and see the love of Christ (John 13:34).

These are just a few of the verses and thoughts that we can discover as we search through the Word of God.

It is my prayer that each of us will be able to find a community and that each of us will be a part of a community for someone else.  I pray that each of us will see that we need others and that there are others out there that need us.  

May we have eyes to see and ears to hear who they might be.
                    

In Christ, 
Dr. Dan - ICSB Chaplain

dbishop@icsbudapest.org