WEBVTT 00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:10.240 Hey everyone, this is Rachel, and welcome to day 14 of our 21 days of prayer. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:19.199 Today we're going to be looking at Acts chapter 2 and Hebrews chapter 13 and talking all about how we can make room for community. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:24.480 Life is a way of pulling us toward busyness, doesn't it? 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:31.920 Our schedules fill, our minds can crowd, and without even meaning to, we can drift into living life alone. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.479 Yet this was never God's design for us. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:41.119 In fact, in Genesis chapter 2, verse 18, it says, it is not good for man that man should live alone. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.200 This simply isn't just about marriage. 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:49.039 It's about the deep human need for companionship, a shared purpose and spiritual support. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:54.640 Making room for community isn't just a luxury, it's a spiritual discipline. 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:57.439 But how often do we treat it like this? 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:00.399 Do we really look at it through that lens? 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:06.079 In Acts chapter two, the early church gives us a picture of what life together can look like. 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:13.120 It says they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to breaking bread into prayer. 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:20.640 Community wasn't just squeezed into the cracks of their lives, it was woven into the rhythm of their days. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:22.719 They devoted themselves to it. 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.840 And here's the thing: community requires devotion. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.640 It's intentional time, open hearts, and a willingness to be known. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:37.439 But if you're like me, that can sound both wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:39.599 I mean, I'm already maxed out, right? 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:40.959 And I know you are too. 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:45.519 But making room for community doesn't always mean adding more to your calendar. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:48.959 Sometimes it means reordering what's already there. 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:54.159 It means asking God, who have you placed around me that I'm overlooking? 00:01:54.400 --> 00:02:05.519 This could look like joining a or leading an access group, reaching out to a neighbor you usually pass by, or choosing a coffee with a friend over another night at home with a screen. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:11.759 Hebrews 10, verses 24 and 25 remind us of the importance of showing up for each other. 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:22.639 It says, and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another. 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:26.560 The phrase not neglecting implies intentionality. 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:31.280 And here's the thing: community rarely thrives by accident. 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:34.479 It grows when we make space for it. 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:40.800 Yet, community is not only something we receive, it's something that we get to give. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.199 When we make space for others, we imitate Christ. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:47.680 And I believe we get to know him better. 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:51.280 Jesus was consistently present with people. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:31.439 Community doesn't start with big, grandiose gestures. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:39.520 It starts with small yeses, a text, a prayer, a conversation, a shared meal. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:48.080 And as you make room for community, you'll find yourself living more fully into the life that God has designed for you. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:51.680 Connected, supported, and rooted in love. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:54.400 Thank you so much for joining me today. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.039 Be sure to come back tomorrow for day 15 of our 21 days of prayer.