Day 19 of 40…
I love how this
40 days of purpose/blogging has taken me through the chapters on Church Family
right smack on top of the week my beloved churchy celebrated our 27th
anniversary! J
No such things
as coincidence when God is involved, that’s for sure.
Today’s chapter
was on cultivating community.
Community is a
wonderful thing. Having people that do life along with you is beautiful and a
great source of accountability. People who care about your life and where you’re
headed.
James
The Message
(MSG)
Real wisdom,
God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along
with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings,
not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy,
robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do
the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with
dignity and honour.
You see, it ain’t
all fun and games.
God knew we’d
have to work hard and trust Him to stay true to each other.
But let me ask
you this… when you go to work, what do the people you work with say about
churches?
Do they say
people are always fighting… They say it’s just a bunch of rules and regulations...
A breeding ground for hypocrites?
See, the reason
we need to live out our purpose of living as people formed for God’s family is
because every other person in the world NEEDS to know what exactly that looks
like!
How will they
know without our example?
1 John 3:16
By this we know
love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren.
Our society is
based around unfaithfulness.
We see it
everyday.
I’ll spare you
details, but I’m sure you can come up with a few.
We’re all
guilty – that’s why Jesus had to die.
We can’t point
fingers without feeling that twinge of guilt.
If we truly
Love each other as brothers and sisters in the church, we should make an effort
to consciously stand up for each other and build each other up daily.
Think of that
one person who drives you up the wall… or maybe it’s two or three.
Does God love
them? Did He make them in His own image? Did Jesus give His life’s blood for
them too?
Then who are
you to judge?
It’s only by
His grace that we are saved, loved, and restored into relationship with Him.
Grace… think
about it. J
How can we love
them though?
On my own
strength it’s impossible.
Only by His
strength.
Only by the
Spirit of God indwelling us and working through us, can I love people the way
God loves them.
This is my
purpose in life, to bring glory to God by loving people.
Everyday I have
to ask Him for strength.
Paul knew what
he was saying when he wrote to the many churches. Encouraging them to rise up
and change things so the world would know they were Christians by their love
for each other.
Through the
power of the Holy Spirit, this and so much more is possible.
Real fellowship
with our church family comes through a right relationship with God and the Holy
Spirit empowering us to love each other!
Today my love
for my church family is renewed because of a reminder of who we are as a church
and the firm foundation we’ve been building the last 27 years. J
God’s church is
meant to be a beautiful reflection of his love for his people… and my prayer is
that wherever you find yourself tonight, your love for the church will be recommitted
and that the Holy Spirit living in you will empower you to love them for the
rest of your life.
Colossians
3:12-15 (NLT)
Since God chose
you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted
mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each
other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you,
so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which
binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from
Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live
in peace. And always be thankful.
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