Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:13, 24-27

All the members care for each other equally. 1 Corinthians 12:25

After five weeks in his new neighborhood, Derrick still didn’t fit in. With no friends—no one to hopscotch with, no one to hang on the monkey bars with, and no hope of anyone showing up at his birthday party—he took matters into his own hands. He made a decision: If he couldn’t make friends, he would buy some.

The next day Derrick walked out on the playground with the rolled-up wad of bills he had earned for years of doing extra chores at home. His cash quickly drew a crowd. “Hmmm…” he said out loud as he spun around, eyeing his choices. “A dollar for you,” he said to a great hopscotch partner. “And a dollar for you,” he said to a master monkey-bars climber. “And a five for you,” he said to the most popular kid on the block. “My birthday is next month. Let’s be friends for a long time.”

Derrick’s strategy no doubt won friends for a while. But guess what? His pool of pals dried up the instant his money did.

Talk about it: What kinds of crazy things do we do to get friends?

God has a great plan for us to find the good friendships we all need. He knew we might have a hard time believing how much he loves and accepts us, so he gave us a one-of-a-kind place to find love. You might be surprised to learn the name of this awesomely accepting place. It’s the church.

When you believed in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you became a part of the church—not just a church, but the big group of people everywhere who follow Jesus.

The Bible refers to the church as Christ’s body. The church—the body of Christ—is made up of Christians from all around the world (see 1 Corinthians 12:13, 24-27). You and I and every other Christian are all closely related to each other. And just like a body can’t get along without its various parts, we all need and are needed by the rest of the body.

When you fumble, fail, or feel rejected, God plans for your Christian friends to remind you that you are loved and accepted no matter what. And when someone in your group feels awful, it’s your job to come alongside with encouraging words (see 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

You don’t have to hand out money to be accepted. Hanging tight with other Christians is God’s far better plan for you!

TALK: How are you making the most of being part of a group of loving believers— are you letting God’s love touch you through them?

PRAY: God, strengthen our relationships with our Christian sisters and brothers.

ACT: Do you need to strengthen your bonds with other Christians? Schedule some time together!

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