Unity

Many times, I have been somewhat puzzled by how to "be of one mind" with other Christians. After all, we are all different and unique with different personalities and life experiences.But it is the different opinions and conclusions drawn by each individual that leaves me confused at times. When we are reading the same Bible, attending the same church and worshiping the same Savior, how can it be that we think so differently? Of course this is the basis for much quarreling and heated discussion within the church family. But at the end of the discourse, there are still differences. With that being said, how is it possible to be of "one mind " and actually live in peace? How can we have true unity with so many differences?I must admit that I struggle with this concept. I am definitely a team player who doesn't like to spend precious time finding common ground with someone on my team when there is a big goal ahead of me that needs my focus and attention. But, I'm not very realistic in that regard and it is an area in which the Lord is teaching me patience.

As long as the body of Christ is made up of humans, there will be differences.The 13th chapter of 2 Corinthians has given me some insight into what living in unity really means. Verse 11 says:

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

According to this verse, the first step of unity is to aim for perfection. Well, there is another instruction that seems impossible for this mere human. Jeanne McCoullough of WOW points out what Christian perfection is not. It is not:

1. an absolute perfection that only God has

2. an angelic perfection they have because they have never fallen

3. an Adamic perfection that man had in his original state before sin

4. a perfection of knowledge that is not possible for man because his intellect was darkened when sin was introduced

5. an immunity from temptation. Jesus was the only one who was tempted and never sinned.

In other words, perfection for the Christian is not a result of a victorious human effort but it is most definitely a result of the Work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of man as a result of faith in the blood of Jesus. Christian perfection is spiritual maturity brought by time, growth, trial and development. It never ends but brings about more faith, love,devotion, patience and discipline. Paul was telling the Corinthians there could be not unity among the believers unless they would strive for perfection within themselves. With Christian perfection comes the grace needed to bring human tendencies and self-centeredness under the authority of Jesus.

What does it mean to strive for perfection? It is more than a mind-set although it certainly must start with a decision to be transformed. 2 Peter 3:14 reminds me to make every effort to be spotless and blameless before God and Colossians 1:21-23 tells me to offer my body as a living sacrifice. Through the Holy Spirit, I have the ability to sacrifice myself to Bible study, prayer, solitude, worship, service...just to name a few. It looks like if I am to have unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have to work on myself. The rest is up to God. Unity doesn't mean agreement. It means personally striving for perfection. What a relief!

It's All Yours

Music is often called the universal language. I can certainly relate to that statement and find that it is often common ground for many who may have little else in common. Recently, the lyrics of a particular song has sunk deep into my soul because I think it underlines a very important life lesson. That life lesson is recognizing that everything belongs to God. The song I'm talking about is called "Yours " written and recorded by Stephen Curtis Chapman.

Many have heard of the tragedy that struck the Chapman family in May of this year. Their youngest daughter, 5 year old Maria was killed in the driveway of their home in Tennessee when a car accidently ran over her when backing out of the driveway. I cannot imagine the pain of such a tragedy. Selfishly, I pray I never have to.

Stephen Curtis Chapman had written and recorded the excellent song called "Yours" before his daughter died. However, as a result of his grieving and his experience of relying on God, Chapman added an additional verse. In light of the circumstances in which it was written, it speaks volumes.

"I’ve walked the valley of death’s shadow

So deep and dark that I could barely breathe

I’ve had to let go of more than I could bear

And questioned everything that I believe

But still even herein this great darkness

A comfort and hope come breaking through

As I can say in life or death

God we belong to you"

Whenever I hear this songs on the radio, I can't help but praise God. I praise God because He can use the worst circumstance imaginable to deepen the spiritual walk of his children. Not only that but he can use such awfulness to touch the hearts of others and draw them closer to Him. What a God we have!

I pray that I will follow the example set by Stephen Curtis Chapman and declare that every thing belongs to God. What freedom comes with that prayer! Such a stress reliever! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing Stephen. I doubt you'll ever know the impact this has had on other people.

Shock

I have spent the last week or so picking my chin up off the ground.

I have been truly surprised by the beliefs of some of my fellow Christians. I found myself in one of those moments when you thought that some one was surely joking; and then you realize that they are serious. It takes a while to digest. Then I am surprised by my naivety. I have now progressed to the sorrow phase because I believe that these friends whom I greatly respect have been deceived. I'm left wondering how an issue that is so black and white to me is so complicated to other Christians. The issue I am talking about is abortion and the responsibility of the Christian voter in the upcoming elections. Christians with whom I work shoulder to shoulder in ministry do not believe it is their resposibility to overturn Roe v. Wade. I am shocked but more than that, I am sorrowful because of the impact that this way of thinking will have on the innocent unborn children who are being killed. How can Christians who read the same Bible, have such opposite views of rescuing unborn babies? As I have prayed about this, I have come to a couple of conclusions.

One conclusion is that we now have a generation of young adults that have grown up in a culture in which abortion is not only legal but is common. It is glorified on TV as a "right" and is offered up in our society as a legitimate method of birth control with no consequences to the woman or to society. I was in college when abortion became legal -meaning I grew up in a culture where it was was not an option. I can remember all the arguments made: that morality should not be legislated and that women should have decision making power over their own bodies. Then abortionists hired an advertisement firm to spin their position to the public for them and the term "Pro-Choice" was born. It was brilliant. Everyone wants a choice, right? It certainly sounds better than abortionist. And, it worked. Call a pro-choicer an abortionist today and watch the hair raise on the back of their neck. I can remember well the first girl I knew that had an abortion. She lived down the hall from me in the dorm. Actually, this was before it was legalized. She was able to abort her baby because her Dad was a Doctor and one of his partners did it. However, my point is that the entire campus was shocked by the news that she aborted her baby. The commom response was disbelief that she callously ended the life instead of giving the baby up for adoption. But what about today? Am I shocked when I hear of someone having an abortion? Are my young adult children shocked? Not really, because it is much more common and accessable and plastered into many TV story lines. So, I am longing for the days I remember when abortion was not used as birth control. The current generation of young adults have no idea what it is like to live in a society free of such an atrosity. When asked to vote for a candidate who would fight to end abortion, they don't feel the urgency that I do.

Another conclusion I have come to is that we are also experiencing a generation of young adults who grew up in public schools (dare I call them government schools?) in which prayer has been eliminated. Not only prayer but most references to Judeo-Christian principles and ethics. Public school kids are even taught that the constitution says that the church and state should be separate! (In case you didn't know, the constitution doesn't say that - look it up for yourself) Consequently, there is no teaching of morality in the public schools. Furthermore, there is no teaching of a Godly world view. As a result, we have kids who grow up in Christian homes, become Christians themselves, and attend church but compartmentalize their Christianity. By this I mean that they don't incorporate the Bible into their everyday decision making process much less their decision making regarding which candidate to vote for the President of the United States. Because of this I believe Christians should educate their children in Christian Schools where they are taught a Godly world view as well as a curriculum integrated with the principles of the Bible.

In conlusion, I have purposed to remember that I am part of a community of believers with different backgrounds and life experiences. The Bible tells me to "bear with" others. This means that I don't have to understand them or agree with them - just pray for them. And, vote!

I Want to Smell Like Jesus

One of the things I loved about having no electricity for a week was the fact that it gave me an excuse to use all the wonderful fragrant candles I have. I even bought a few more just so we could have a little extra light in the evenings. And oh, did my house smell good! My husband really got into it too, and now he is a big fan of scented candles.

Another fragrant indulgence I have is shower gels from Bath and Body Works. My daughter and I wait until they go on sale and then we stock up for the next 6 months. I actually have a cabinet full of shower gels and lotions that smell like every flower and fruit under the sun. It is also handy to have then available for the last minute gifts. I guess I just like to smell good.

I've been meditating on the words of 2 Corinthians this week.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

I have never thought of myself as smelling good to God. My prayer is that He uses me to be the good-smelling candle in the lives of those who are in darkness. I want to smell like the fragrance of one who knows Him personally. I want God to breathe in and say, Yes, this smells wonderful!

God - My Life Gardener

John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

I was raised in a gardening family. My mom can make anything grow and flourish - even the most spindly, or puny plant soon thrives under Mom's TLC. In his retirement, Dad also likes to garden. In addition to his usual vegetable garden, he was very proud of his bed of iris that bloomed with magnificent color this year. The beautiful color of flowers and the wonderful harvest of vegetables can be the most fun part of gardening. But to be an effective gardener, you also have to be a little ruthless in pruning or cutting back plants so that they can grow thicker and more beautiful. It's surprising how emotionally hard it can be to cut a limb off a bush or a perennial. I tend to assign human feelings to the poor plant and imagine it saying "ouch" or feeling betrayed by my actions. I'm strange that way. This spring, my husband couldn't believe his ears when I asked him to prune the butterfly bush all the way to the ground. He was convinced it would die. But that type of harsh pruning is exactly what the butterfly bush needs and now it is about 7 feet tall and covered with purple flowers that attract all sorts of butterflies and hummingbirds.

The Bible tells us that God is the Master Gardener of our life. In order for our lives to bloom and be as beautiful as He intended, we often need to be pruned. I must admit, I don't like it. However it has taken many years of life experience to appreciate the times of pruning. I know that if certain friendships had not been pruned out of my life, I would never have learn to rely on my one true friend, Jesus. I know that if a certain job had not been pruned out of my life, I would never have pursued my true calling. I also know that the pruning will never be over because God has a wonderful plan and purpose for my life to bear much fruit to glorify His name. I pray that I will be able to recognize the pruning shears when they come my way in the future, welcome them and trust that God knows what He's doing. I will trust that the beautiful fruit that it produces will be worth the pruning. I will try to be thankful for the pruning. After all, if I were dead, I wouldn't need to be pruned.

I'm thankful that God orders my steps and that when I fall, He reaches down with His hand to lift me up. (Psalm 37:23-34)

I am thankful for each new day the Lord gives me.