Unity by Divine Supply

 

“…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…” -Ephesians 4:2

I have been meditating Psalm 27, praying to be made useful as an instrument in the Lord’s hands in the surroundings He has sovereignly placed me. It seems people have been increasingly angry and anxious recently. Factor in COVID-19 and a presidential election year, the problems in the human hearts around me have simply escalated.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to meet the problems of the human hearts head on with the good news of Jesus Christ. We work and toil in this very same angry and anxious world, which affects us far more than we truly realize. We grow wearing in doing good. Our humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance have limits in the flesh.

We need to hear of Christ’s mercies. We need reminding of Christ’s mercies. We need to receive Christ’s mercies. We each have need of Christ’s mercies in His beloved church to handle us with humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with us in love from a heart eager to maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Christ’s given peace.

These characteristics do not come naturally; rather, they must be supernaturally given. Do not fall into the temptation that these attributes well up from sheer willpower or misused to accuse others in the church of falling short of our expectations. Christ who loves His bride gifts us with a heart to gently bear in love those in fellowship weakened and wounded by an increasingly angry and anxious world. Within the safety of fellowship, free to confess where we have failed obedience, pray for strength to persevere, and encourage one another to be Christ-like in view of an evil, dark world.

Our love and care for one another will not and cannot depend simply on our love for one another, but upon our love for Christ. I can only be humbly gentle, forbearing with patience with the supply I receive from Christ. Jesus said, “I will build My church.” The church’s membership and giftings are from Christ lovingly fulfilling this promise.

Church unity, as a consequence, is more than mere tolerance of each other. Rather, we share a united effort to battle ungodly desires in our hearts and strive together to conform to Christ, being a light in a dark world, fighting together for one another’s repentance and joy in spiritual healthiness.

We need a place, a people, safe to enter in with our troubled hearts to be reminded of Christ’s mercies. You and your neighbor are in need of Christ’s mercies in His church. Church family, let us prioritize one another’s spiritual health by obeying Ephesians 4:2 and invite others into such fellowship with His good news. All to the glory of our gracious, merciful God.

Heavenly Father, how I am in constant need of Your mercies. My restless heart is affected by an angry, anxious world. I am in need of Your peace. Those I love in this church family are in need of Your peace. Grant me Your peace that surpasses understanding that I may be humble, gently patient, to bear the burdens of Your church in Your holy and steadfast love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devote Yourselves to Prayer...Together

 

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

A Godly desire for a vibrant prayer life will be tested in this world of pains and afflictions. Whether things are going well or poorly, whether in comfort or pain, rejoicing or weeping, I am to be “constant in prayer,” or faithfully devoted to prayer.

How do I persist in a vibrant prayer life when things are going well in my life? I am to rejoice in hope. How do I persist in a vibrant prayer life when in tribulation? I am to be patient. Whether I am rejoicing in hope or patient in tribulation, I gather strength from sweet communion by the Spirit with the heavenly Father through Christ in prayer.

Yet, we need help to obey this commandment of Scripture. To rejoice in hope, faithfully endure in all afflictions and trials, and faithfully devoted to prayer is a community project. The early church “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14) and “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

The hope of a healthy, vibrant prayer life of a follower of Christ that endures all things and rejoices in hope leans heavily on a local church that enjoys a healthy, vibrant prayer life together. Later in Romans 12 Paul commands us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” A rejoicing hope is not enjoyed in isolation, but celebrated in the community of a church family. A tear is not to be shed in simple solitude, but grieved in the community of a church family. And all of this in a love for one another which enjoys a healthy, vibrant life of devoted prayer together.

Often, we are tempted that our value in friendships within a local church family is dependent on our own usefulness. Yet, we simply rejoice with those rejoicing and weep with those weeping. There is an end to our counseling and consoling, even an end to our usefulness in labors. Yet Christ’s ability has no end. When hope calls for rejoicing or afflictions test patience in lives around us, we are called to devote ourselves to prayer.

Beloved, do not simply give words or deeds as a church family, but devote yourselves to prayer. Pray for and with one another in love for one another in Christ regularly. May we, the building up of spiritual stones, be made into a house of prayer. By God’s grace we petition for and with one another with thanksgiving in our hearts that His peace that surpasses understanding guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Guards to rejoice in hope; guards to be patient in tribulation.

Heavenly Father, make us into Your house devoted to prayer, pleading for Your needed mercies for each other considering other’s interest above our own. Be glorified in Your praying people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thankfully Self-Righteous

"God, I thank You that I am not like other men.” -Luke 18:11

This is the prayer of the Pharisee who walked out of the temple unjustified. Let’s break this simple sentence down. First, the Pharisee is talking with God valuing prayer as an important religious duty. Second, he is thankful to God, entering prayer with thanksgiving to God. Third, he is thankful to God that he is more moral than other men.

Luke sets up our Lord’s parable with this: “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” There is the rub. The Pharisee thought he could justify himself by valuing the duty of prayer, being thankful to God, and being moral. Jesus told this parable about the heart of people desiring to trust in their own decision making skills, moral living, and pious activity that didn’t lead their heart to trust in God for righteousness with humility; but rather with a smug, sanctimonious pride which “treated others with contempt.”

I confess, in my pride I have fallen in this trap a few times. To think, “well, I’m thankful! I’m even thankful to God that I’m a good person!” Yet, if this leads me to think of others with scorn, I have sinned greatly against God. It is evil of me to think of those not as cleaned up as me, or having made great moral failings, even going so far as to betray my kinsman in collecting taxes for a foreign power as the weeping, justified tax collector beside this Pharisee!

There I times I am tempted to feel justified having contempt for sinners who live, talk, and act in ways deserving contempt! I mean, “On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:6). Yet we read in the very next verse, “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.” How dreadful! How wicked I am that a man as me rescued from the very sins deserving the wrath of God I, too, once walked! How ugly is the pride of my heart saved by God’s grace alone would think so highly of my good works and so lowly of others as to “treat others with contempt!”

I hate my pride. I know God opposes the proud (James 4:6). I do not want to be an enemy of our Just and Compassionate God who justifies tax collectors. The answer to my prideful heart is humility. Not like the world which sees humility only as seeing myself as lowly, but being lowly before a majestic, powerful God. Before His greatness I repent of my self-obsession and thinking so lowly of sinners that I treat with contempt the very people He in His grace is able to save.

The threat of pride in my heart is routed by His invading grace as I look to the cross of my Savior. I, too, once walked as the world in their blindness. I, too, deserve God’s wrath. Yet, His wrath was poured upon Christ for me. My only goodness was given to me in exchange for my sin by Christ. I have no boasting before God except Christ and His righteousness.

Heavenly Father, forgive us of boasting in our goodness and any treatment of others with contempt in our pride. Humble us before You and lead our gaze to the cross of Your Son where You poured the wrath we deserved upon Christ, and have given us the righteousness of Christ by faith in Him alone. Grant to us gentle, peaceable hearts to treat those we think deserving of our contempt with love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.