When you were a teen and visited the homes of your friends, you could typically tell right away if the family members there respected each other and treated one another with kindness.
And if you sensed that relationships were not cherished but instead taken for granted, you probably didn’t want to return.
Who wants to stay in a home where people don’t do all they can to protect one another emotionally?
I Corinthians 13 tells us the “love always protects.”
If somebody trashes me in my family — whether biological or workplace or team or church — do I really want to be there?
I encourage you to be the kind of family member God expects you to be — caring, encouraging, protective.
This is what I need to do for others, as well.
Here’s what Paul wrote regarding the importance of this attitude when it comes to building strong congregations:
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)
We all know of congregations that could accomplish more for the Kingdom in their communities if a greater sense of unity — of humility and protection — permeated every heart in the flock. Perhaps this describes your congregation.
Please, be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Make every effort to be humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and surrendering your opinions/preferences to the greater cause of shared purpose and accessed power from God.
It’s what loving faith families do.
It’s what you and I are to remember the next time the Enemy’s whisper calls us to either turn away from a Christian brother or sister or, even worse, turn against them.
As always, I love you
Martin
