Getting Along: Christian Love and Mother's Day Reflection

Well, you and I, you know, we can say that we love one another. We can say we love our brethren in Christ, but are we showing it? Are we showing it by getting along with each other? Now here's the thing, you know, we can come to church on a Sunday morning and we can have smiles on our faces and we can act like we're getting along, but deep down in my heart, I can be seething because someone said something, someone did something, or someone didn't do something. Or I can be seething because things just aren't the way I like them. Things aren't the way I want them to be, and yet I got the smile on my face. The Lord does not want us to pretend. He wants us to love one another by getting along with one another, taking those hurt feelings and those differing opinions for Christ's sake and burying them. No. Banishing them for the sake of Christ's glory. [01:12:56] (80 seconds)  #LoveInAction

Literally, he says this, count one another count one another as superior. Wouldn't it be interesting if we got in a fight over, I think you're better than me. Well, I think you're better than me. No. I think you're better than I am. You're the better one. No. You're the better one. That would be an interesting an interesting fight. It would be all in good humor. It'd all be a good natured thing. Right? This is kind of the what what Paul is is calling us to do, to esteem other better than oneself. Consider one another worthy of serving. Consider the other one who is deserving of my service. That's the idea. It's the idea that was modeled by Jesus in John 13 where he demonstrated he was not too good to stoop and serve. [01:01:59] (57 seconds)  #OthersFirst

Paul says, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look not look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. The word lowliness the word lowliness means humility. Humility. Not a groveling sort of thing, but but the opposite of pride. And and we understand what pride looks like when somebody gets gets up and they they pound their fist say, it's gotta be my way or the highway kind of a thing. We understand that's that's pride. That's arrogance. Well, what Paul is talking about here in in when he speaks of in lowliness of mind, he's talking about in humility of mind. [01:01:08] (52 seconds)  #HumilityFirst

Well, that conclusion isn't altogether accurate, but nevertheless, the idea that loving one another is a command to feel a certain way isn't accurate at all. When the Bible tells us to love one another, it's not commanding us to feel in a particular way. In reality, I want you to realize and I want us to think about the fact that loving one another from the heart involves those three chambers of the heart as the scripture reveals them. You know, the heart has to do with the working together of the intellect, the emotion, and the will. What you think, what you desire, love, feel, as well as what you choose, what you do, you will to do. [00:35:17] (53 seconds)  #WholeHeartLove

That means we're we need to receive one another to be accepting of one another despite despite our weaknesses. Now I don't know about you, but I know I have some. I have a lot of weaknesses. I'm grateful that God's people put up with the weaknesses of of their pastor, but we need to put up with the weaknesses of one another. Some of us have a tendency toward being shy. Others of us have a tendency to be outspoken. Some have a tendency to be talkative. Others have a tendency to be quiet. Some have a tendency to be optimistic. They're glass half full kind of people. Others have a tendency to be just the opposite and glass half empty kind of people. [01:06:31] (51 seconds)  #GraceForOneAnother

And it was a miserable experience because he recounts in his book how he he'd go to business meetings and the yelling and the fighting and the screaming over over stuff that is not kingdom stuff. It's not stuff that makes any difference. It's not stuff that matters. I have a pastor friend who shared with me some time ago. He was trying to lead his congregation into a desperately needed building remodeling program. And he he's talking about the the nitpicking over silly, silly stuff like carpet color, you know, know, that kind of thing. The colors of wall. You're just just nitpicking back and forth, arguing, debating, taking forever to come to some kind of a a decision that anybody could agree on. It's not encouragement. [00:48:16] (60 seconds)  #StopNitpicking

Let's look at some reasons why we need to be getting along with one another. First one is found here in this particular passage we just read in Romans chapter 12 verses three through five. We need to get along with each other because of our relationship with each other, a relationship with one another. And Paul puts it this way in verses three through five. He says, we are members one of another. And he speaks of the human body and relates that to the local church. He says as in verse four, as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another. [00:42:07] (43 seconds)  #OneBodyTogether

And we demonstrate that relationship with one another through our interconnectedness in service. There's an interconnectedness that comes out in our service. So in verses six through eight, he talks about these differing gifts. He says, if you have this gift, use it. If you have that gift, use it. If you have this particular gift, employ that gift. You whatever whatever however God has gifted you, use that gift as a member in the body to the benefit of others in the body. [00:42:50] (35 seconds)  #UseYourGifts