August 13, 2023
Greetings and blessings to all of you. We are living in a world of divisiveness. Has it always been like this? Historically speaking, yes. From the Book of Genesis to the book of Revelation there have been wars. People always had disagreements. About what? Governmental ideologies, property, political issues, power, control, money, lifestyles and Biblical issues and doctrine interpretations, etc. Today not only in the world {at large} we are divided in the Body of Christ. A divisive person demands uniformity where God does not, which destabilizes UNITY in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in I Cor.1:12 insisted that lesser loyalties will always push against the greatest loyalty to Christ; we have to be on guard against this in their own hearts. Proverb 13:10 says, “By pride comes only contention, but with the well advised is wisdom.” God has called us to work together and be one minded on the doctrines of the Word. Some in the church will create obstacles when that happens, Paul writes, “clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Col. 3:12-14) Consider this. We are a people with a lot of Pride. We have God-given talents, gifts, abilities and intelligence. And sometimes we forget to remain humble even as we acknowledge that we have received them all from God. Therefore, we do not take the glory but instead give thanks to God who is the source of our talents and abilities. As the Body of Christ, we will have disagreements; however, we must be aware that Jesus is our role model. Remember the Lord gave us the fruit of the Spirit. He also said in Col. 3:1 “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your heart.” Those who need others to think and act exactly the way they do are often masking insecurities. They have a deep-seated need to have their views confirmed in the behavior and thoughts of others. But that is not how Jesus wants his children to act. Disagreements will happen where more than one person is involved. We are all unique and we are not likely to agree on everything. Arguing fair, opening yourself to understanding why the other person have that belief; you might surprise yourself agreeing to disagree. In this divisive culture we must seek to create an environment where two believers can feel free to express their thoughts and concerns with joy and love and not a pugnacious haughty spirit...with the help of the Holy Spirit. Let us begin today.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC