Skip to main content

Accept one another . . . in order to bring praise to God !


What a horrendous week it has been for me!  And its only Tuesday (sigh!)  Sometimes I just want to climb into my fifth wheel and wheel away . . . . I don’t care where, just ANYWHERE but here – I hate conflict, don’t you?

I think I hate it because conflict tears at my heart – its sin and its wrong.  But can we live in a world, okay let’s just say “in a family” without conflict?  Aren’t we supposed to be a family (whether by blood or by faith) of unity – a Christian community that loves one another and is unified?  Seems simple, doesn’t it?  It ain’t!  One wants this, the other that.  Someone is unhappy or feeling unloved or being pushed around.  There’s manipulation and pride and jealousy – these ARE NOT family traits you know (!)  or for that matter, “fruits” of the Spirit!

In all this muck, I have been praying, I have been fasting, and I have sought counsel, both from the Word and from wise prayer warriors.  I have tried to get to the bottom of it all and I have tried to ignore it, hoping it will go away.  I think if it just affected me, I would be okay but I see hurt here.  And not just my hurt head (sigh again!) but hurt hearts and hurt lives. 

And I want to fix them all !  Step back, Debi – step back.  Leave it there.  Just leave it there.  Okay, I’m better now.  Where were we?  J

Look at the wonderful Scripture God showed me!  It’s from Romans, Chapter 15:

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Shall we pick it apart together?    “not please ourselves, but others” – “build them up” – okay, not seeing that in any of this!   So it’s not about what I want or think should happen, it’s about building others up?  God will give me the endurance and encouragement I need AND a spirit of unity as I follow Christ Jesus.  I’m following . . . . I’m following.

Follow Him so I do as He does – go where He goes – be who He calls us to be.  Follow.   

Following Him will help me accept others – accept them as who they are (NOT as how I want them to be (UNFORTUNATELYJ)!  Accept them in their sinfulness and in their godliness.  Accept.  And the reason I accept?  Is to bring praise to God!  Now that’s a GREAT reason.  His Glory – His Way – His.

Can I share with you some of the answer of one of my “prayer warriors”?  She’s a wise, wise woman of the Word - a friend for life – one of those treasures one thanks God for (most times).  When I asked her about all this, her response:

The quest for understanding and perfect meaningful relationships in love, friendship, and family life are, in my humble opinion, un-obtainable. I just need to learn how to love others more than myself….to forgive, to let go, un-grasp, and just breath… and laugh more at the ridiculous ways we try to control our emotions, manipulate our desires and rationalize our choices to fit our warped sense of entitlement. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

 
That sounds like acceptance to me – and most definitely GRACE – yes, sweet friend, you are worth it – God accepts you, just as you are.
 
How can we not do the same?  For the praise of His Glorious Name.

Comments

  1. Your "prayer warrior" is wise and so very insightful, a true gem amoungst us lumps of coal. I encourage you to take those words to heart and to turn the madness over to God, who controls all. God bless you Debi.

    ReplyDelete
  2. As I've told my children, love your spouse for who they are, not who YOU want them to be.

    The same is true with everyone in our lives. We cannot change others, only ourselves.

    You are on the right track here and have very wise counsel. Praying for mighty angels to surround you on your journey.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May my heart see . . . a blog? What?

My sister suggested years ago for me to start a blog.   “A what?”, I said.   Well, thank you, Cindy, for your suggestion – I think I’m gonna love this !   And I hope you do too.   I want to share what my heart has “seen” and is learning through God’s Word and I want to hear from you too.   The first time I EVER went to Bible study was when my “baby” was in an infant seat.   I remember it vividly.   (He’s 25 now BTW)    My step-mom invited me; she was the leader.   I don’t know if I would have went to a study where I didn’t know A SOUL – maybe.   Anyway, I have been going to a weekly study since then regularly and LOVE IT, absolutely love it! When scripture says “ open the eyes of my heart, Lord” – what do you think that means?   Hearts don’t have eyes, I mean literally they don’t.   My step-mom used to say, “I know it in here (pointing to her brain) but I now know it in HERE (pointing to her heart).   There’s a differ...

Right WHERE I wanna be!

Did you ever wonder what life WITHOUT God’s Presence would be like?   I mean, really truly WITHOUT HIS PRESENCE?   In my reading this week (Ezekiel) the exiles are coming home.   They are moving back to their “homeland” and to top it off, God’s Presence has returned.   Wait – what do I mean by God’s Presence returning?   Isn’t He everywhere?    Where did He go if He wasn’t there with them?   That’s a good question !   I have been thinking about that this week and the importance of “God’s Presence” in my life and in OUR lives as Christians. In the Old Testament, God dwelt (on earth) in the tabernacle first and then in His Most Holy Place in the temple that King Solomon built for Him in Jerusalem.   By “dwelling”, I mean He was there to worship and confess to.   He spoke to (and through) prophets.   He accepted sacrifices and worked in tremendous ways for His people.     Jerusalem was captured and the Jews...

Surprised? Not at all.

Do you think God has ever been surprised?   I mean, when He created the universe, do you think He didn’t realize exactly what was going to happen throughout all eternity?   Scripture says He can change His mind but, was He ever surprised?   I don’t think so. From the point of, “Let there be light” – and from then on, no surprises. He knew that Eve would eat the fruit. He knew Cain would kill Abel. He knew the Red Sea would need to be parted, that Joseph’s brothers would throw him in a well, that Job would persevere and that Judas would betray. He knew, from the beginning, we would need a savior.   Was He surprised?   Not at all.   As early as Genesis 3:15, Christ is mentioned.    So I’m thinking, there are no surprises with God.   Nothing surprises Him.   He had a plan, from the beginning, and when things weren’t going “well”, He didn’t shake His head and say, “ok, let’s go to Plan B now” – He was not surprised. ...