Thursday, December 20, 2007

In the midst of celebrating the birth of Jesus, we also spend much of our time at Christmas interacting with people... mall employees; postal workers; teachers, church members and other mothers as we prepare for various Christmas programs; family members from near and far. Let's face it, it's easy at times to get on each other's nerves. But we need to take a step back and remember our call to love each other.

The world is watching us.

Becky


Unity

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You …May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. (John 17:20, 21, 23b, NIV)

If you have ever served in a church body or on a ministry team, if you have ever been part of a Bible study group or missions trip, if you have ever spent any significant periods of time with other Christians, then you know how easy it is for a spirit of disunity to pervade. Gossip, church politics, bickering, hurt feelings, self-centeredness, pride; all of these and more contribute to divisions, bitterness and resentment. We forget that we are all imperfect people. We forget that, whether we like it or not, we share the same Father and are therefore joined for eternity. We forget our purpose and our love.

And so the rest of the world looks on and sees nothing more than a dysfunctional family of which they want no part. They see hypocrisy and double-talk. We hide the truth of the Gospel with jealousy and pettiness.

We can’t choose who is in our spiritual family any more than we can choose who is in our natural family. But God commands us to see past the personality flaws and irritating habits and to love each other with a love deep enough that makes us willing to lay down our lives for our brother or sister in Christ. He asks us to consider others as better than ourselves. He doesn’t give us the opportunity to pick and choose to whom we wish to apply these commands.

The world is watching how we treat each other. If our love and unity are apparent, they can’t help but see Jesus in us. If we are nit-picking and fighting, then we have effectively eliminated the difference between us and them. Our lives are living examples all the time. Our relationships are testimonies. What are our relationships with our fellow Christians saying to others?

Dear Jesus, Please give me Your heart and Your eyes so that I can love Your children the way you do. Help me to put aside any pride and to heed the higher calling to put the needs of fellow Christians above my own needs. Help me to remember my own imperfections every time I am tempted to dwell on those of another.

Closing ThoughtSit for a minute and picture one or two fellow Christians with whom you are having some kind of conflict. Take a piece of paper and write out their names. Next to their names, write as many positive attributes about each person as you can. Then ask God to humble your own attitudes, to bring to mind the positive attributes, and to love them as He does.