Accept One Another 2

Ephesians 4:1-3

Several years ago I heard a great Christian speaker, Marva Dawn, relate her response to people who complain to her about worship. She said that when someone speaks to her after a worship service and says, “I didn’t like that song,” she says, “So what? It isn’t about you.”

It isn’t just the music that some people complain about. There are those who don’t like the overall worship style, or the décor, or the decisions being made by the church in general. And there are plenty of people who would really love church if they could just get rid of all the people they don’t like.

So what? It isn’t about them.

Look at the example Paul gives for being a Christian. How does he refer to himself? What attitude does he recommend for us to have? What are we to do?

If it isn’t about us, then what is it about? While it is true that part of our life of faith is our own salvation and our own relationship with God, we must have an attitude of inclusiveness. Our faith journey is not just our own but the journey of others like us. We are all seeking that right and holy connection with our Lord.

It is also all about God. Our faith life should be about worshiping God and about working to serve His kingdom.

But how can all of us make that connection when a few members of the family of faith want everything to fit their own style? It seems that every church or religious group has a collection of those who want to dictate how things are going to be. They sit in judgment of others and their behavior. They may exclude those who are even a little different than themselves.

But this is not the attitude of a Christian. This is not modeling the life of Christ.

Instead we should see ourselves as Paul does, as prisoners for the Lord. Such an attitude will make us humble and more tolerant of others. If we can approach our faith with humility, gentleness, patience and love we can make greater strides in serving our God and helping others along the path to redemption.

We must learn to accept one another, fostering the bonds of peace. And that bond of peace that promotes unity in the body of Christ begins with us. It comes about when we can rid ourselves of judgment, arrogance, selfishness and intolerance.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Examine your faith. Is it all about you, or is it all about God and others?