Living in the Spirit
September 12, 2020
Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-12
Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So then, each of us will be accountable to God. –Romans 14:10-12
I have no idea what life after death will be like. I am comforted by the idea of spending eternity with God. Thus what happens after death is not a significant concern for me. What I am doing right now to further the development of God’s kingdom ruled by love needs to be my top priority. That said, I do think God holds me accountable for my way of being.
My sense is that It is better to get right with God as we go rather than allow our actions to accumulate to a final reckoning. I supervised many people in my 35 years of public service, and early on, I learned it is better to as Barney Fife* would save, “Nip it in the bud” before a problem flowers into disasters. Daily review of work in God’s service is crucial, as is the realization that everything we do and say is a part of our service to God.
The Body of Christ in the USA today is deeply divided. I hear words describing faith in God that makes no sense to me based on my understanding of the Bible and particularly the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. I am sure those who are espousing those views feel the same way about my points of view. How did we come to this place? Why are we so reluctant to try to identify and work together toward common ground?
Several years ago, the churches founded under the leadership of Alexander Campbell, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), independent Christin Churches, and the Church of Christ spent a summer building houses together for Habitat for Humanities. We built some beautiful homes and shared in the celebration of new owners. Even opened our work with shared prayer and said grace over lunch. We did not deal with the theological stances that separated us in the first place but did grow in spirit and, in truth, by the joint act of building homes for others. I think Jesus, the carpenter’s son, would have found common ground with us as we worked.
Prayer: Lord, in this politically focused society, help us to seek your higher ground. Amen.
*See Barney Fife – Wikipedia if you do not know who Barney Fife was.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.