Independence vs. Interdependence wk.12-6

0:00Grayson 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

1:00concerning 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

2:07places, 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

3:13course 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

4:17today. 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

5:23that 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

6:27again 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

7:30focus 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

8:34alone. 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,

9:37forgiving 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

10:41one 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

11:48portion 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

12:53teachers 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

13:58resurrection 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

15:01with 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