Thursday, June 8, 2017

Devotions: Harmonious Living

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Romans 12:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)


This is another direction from Paul’s chapter on godly living. We need to strive for unity, not seeking to promote ourselves, get our own way, or cause division or conflict in the church. The reason for this is that disunity makes a mockery of the church to the world, but unity glorifies God because that is reflecting His character. Paul also says that we should not think that we are better than others, for any reason. We should not exclude anyone because they are lower (or higher) class, wear different clothes, have a different racial background… The list could go on. The point is that God made us all to be equal. No one is any better than another in God’s eyes, and that is how it should be with us. Again, this call to unity, to harmony, to loving others enough, to overlook your differences and disagreements. Lastly, he says that we should not think that we know it all. It doesn’t matter who has a doctorate and who didn’t even make it through high school, God can use us all. And frankly, no person could possibly know literally everything. There will always be someone out there who is smarter in some way (trust me). We need to have the humility to seek unity rather than toot our own horns or prove what we know or how right we are. There is no surer way to be proven foolish. Spend the day endeavoring to love those “beneath” you or who disagree with you. Allow someone else the opportunity to be “smart."

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