I remembered a song that I heard often as a young child recently, and the chorus went:
“For united we stand. Divided we fall
And if our backs should ever be against the wall
We’ll be together, Together, you and I”
The song came to my mind as I was reading a news report last weekend that had me dismayed as a follower of Christ, when I read the headline “Christians collide …”.
My dismay was not that Christians might “collide” or disagree, for we do not all agree on all things, much like not at Jews, or Muslims, or Catholics or Atheists agree on all things. My dismay was that it was broadcast in the public forum, because the Christians themselves took it there.
And so I gulped, and was reminded of what it is to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30), for, as James 4:11-12 (MSG) reminds us:
“Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends.
It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule,
that takes a beating in that kind of talk.”
How like children tattling on each other we must sound to God when we go to a public forum about our grievances with each other. Even the most valid complaints have negative impacts on our representation of Christ for the unbelievers in our world.
We honour God when we are united with Him, and with each other.
A good reminder, as groups of believers, as well as for myself in my relationships.
itsawonderfilledlife 