sums up: why can't we all just get along :Phttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUFT35S7Jb4
LOL! Before reading this blog- you must click the link and watch the video- it forms a great basis for this blog!!
But yeah! Why can't we all just get along sounds pretty cheesy (hence the vid) but on the other hand its a real topic! Something of concern to me- the extent of division that I see. Unnecessary.
I remember God sharing some things with me and it was confirmed when a friend shared it a church service I attended. There can be so much division in the body of Christ, for no reason and I remember a pastor once saying that division comes about by us magnifying our differences (check the link!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpN0vwgVBZkA good pixar animation with serious lessons). There is one similarity between us that is greater than ANY of our differences! The fact that Christ died for us. 'Our focus in our fellowship should be our personal experience with Christ more than agreement over the same issues'. Christ unites us! Eg. There shouldnt be an issue in whether somebody decides that he or she can or can not eat meat and that divides you! I think Paul put it best when he explained in Romans 14:1 that we are not to quarrel over opinions. In my last blog I mentioned Colossians where it discusses we should not live by the standards of others. I like how Paul explains in Romans 14 that we will have different standards- but those are between us and God. Don't force others to live by your standards or judge somebody else's standards. All that we do, should be to the glory of God!
Not only do I see minor differences only separating us but how we treat each other. It is so easy for us to start judging people when they fall, when they make a mistake, and then separate ourselves from them, lest we get infected! But take heed lest you fall! Do we all remember David and Saul? The children of Israel were asking Go for a king over the people as the other nations around them had a king to rule over them, and so God appointed Saul. But Saul's reign was cut short as he was caught in an act of disobedience to God, so in the mean time, God raised up David. Now remember God anointed Saul to reign as king, and David knew this very well. Saul began to mistreat David, as he became jealous of him because the children of Israel loved David for defeating all of their enemies. Saul tried to kill David on a number of occasions, and so David spent a lot of this season of his life - just after being anointed as king - fleeing from Saul. There was a situation where Saul and his men were chasing David and had lied down to rest and David entered Saul's camp, while they were sleeping. Now what would you do if you saw your enemy, the person who has tried to kill you for the past however long, just lying there sleeping...vulnerable! I don't even want to guess what you might do but lets take a look at what David did in 1 Samuel 24. When David saw Saul, he just left him - he just cut off a piece of Saul's robe to show Saul that he had the opportunity to take his life but didn't. In verse 6 David says why he did this. He says that Saul is still the Lord's anointed! After all that Saul had done! Walking in disobedience, allowing insecurity and jealousy to rule in his life, David still recognised him as God's anointed.
We take down the people around us, abuse and mistreat and judge the people around us, when regardless of what we think about them, they are still God's anointed. Instead of pulling people down with our words, we could be encouraging each other, praying for each other, edifying one another. Psalms says how great it is when we dwell together in unity. Doing these things helps to build the unity! Helps to build the body! And no part is more important than the other. In the last blog I mentioned that things get more complicated when we do something other than love God and love people! We need to have a culture of love, not of condemnation!!
In summary I like how Romans 14:17 says that the Kingdom of God is not about all these earthly standards of eating and drinking, but is of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit!! Let that be how you live-you are not governed by standards but are part of a greater Kingdom! Be encouraged in unity!
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