You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? (Rom. 14:10)
IF THE SOCIO-POLITICAL tremors of the past few years are any indication, we are due for some major seismic activity. The pressure on the fault lines of political affiliation, religious belief, gender and sexuality, and ethnicity and nationality is only growing. It feels as if our culture is more divided now than it has ever been.
This is dark indeed, but also a tremendous opportunity for the church. Since we are set apart in a culture characterized by fracture, what better statement can we make than to present a unified front? We serve the same commander, and it’s time to focus on that. Armed not with the anger and fear of so many of the lost, we bring instead the armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit. Such a position requires a spirit of deference and obedience. Such a position ensures the survival of and encourages the growth of the church. Such a position places God in His rightful place: first. Such a position is as critical in the twenty-first century as it was in the first, as critical in the modern church as in the Roman.
So let us move beyond ourselves and beyond the issues that divide us. Let us treat one another in a way that makes the culture stop struggling and take notice. Most of all, let’s make our heavenly Father proud of us.
Determine to go for at least one week without complaining about another Christian.
Ruthie Marie Anderson is a junior majoring in biblical and theological studies at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. She enjoys doing yoga, reading science fiction, and making homemade bread while watching Downton Abbey.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
