When I think about my military days, I remember one of the biggest challenges was to always be ready as part of the team. Living in close quarters was difficult for most of us kids – especially being away from home for the first time. One gets a firsthand look at that old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt.”
The same thing can happen in college dorms, families, and sadly, inside the church. When there is disagreement or strife among teams or families there is a loss of function. Unity among these groups make everything ideal. According to the psalmist it is “good and pleasant”. (Psalm 133:1)
It is sad to see earthly families unable to get along, but when it happens within our spiritual families, it brings discredit to the Lord’s church.
The challenge then, is to:
- Let brotherly love continue (Hebrews 13:1)
- Remember the doctrinal unity takes effort (Ephesians 4:1-6)
- Have the same mind and judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10)
- Never stop loving our brethren even when it is threatened (Galatians 5:13-15)
- Pursue things which make peace (Romans 14:19)
- Pursue things which make holiness (Hebrews 12:14)
We work hard to make earthly relationships function well – don’t we owe it to our savior to make the spiritual ones work?
Daily Bible reading for May 14
Psalm 133
Numbers 13-14
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
1 Thessalonians 1
May 14, 2013
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