Charisa Stories

Tag: paul

  • Life Is Too Short To…

    Life Is Too Short To…

    A couple of weeks ago I wrote about quitting negativity. It’s hard to stop griping cold turkey but I am doing better. Recently I have had some honest conversations that showed me the debilitating impact of a negative spirit.

    One person shared his deep hatred for people of one political persuasion. Another felt totally hopeless about the divisions in our culture.

    I shared with both that my hope was in Christ and not in Washington. I pray that I planted a seed of hope in their hearts. Those conversations generated two strong emotions. I was deeply saddened that my friends did not share my hope in Christ. And I was more convinced than ever that I want to be a positive light in this increasingly dark world.

    Last year I became aware of a very talented songwriter/singer from my hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio. Jerry Salley writes songs that inspire and give hope. One of my favorites is titled “Add More Life to My Days” and you can hear it on Jerry’s CD Bridges and Backroads. The lyric starts with a unrealistic wish for life.

    I wish we all could live at least until we’re 90
    Without any aches, or pains, or a cloudy mind
    I wish everyone could taste the kind of love they dream of finding
    And get to see their ship come sailin’ in at least one time

    Wouldn’t that be wonderful? But Jerry knows the truth of life on this fallen planet.

    I’ve been here long enough to know
    That ain’t the way it always goes

    Jesus never promised all smooth sailing as we waited for our ship to come in.

    “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34, NLT)

    Tomorrow will bring worries and troubles? Where is our hope in that? Jesus has the answer.

    “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

    Jesus tells me to not worry about future troubles. He promises peace and victory over the world. One more promise from Jesus is found in Matthew 6:33.

    Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
    and he will give you everything you need.

    That doesn’t mean live perfectly. It simply means to be humble, trust God, love one another, and He will provide your needs. We misunderstand that promise if we think that means getting everything you want. What a promise to hang on to in these difficult times that the God of creation will provide my daily needs.

    The chorus of Jerry Salley’s song talks about the uncertainty of our lifespan. But he does have a wonderful suggestion for the days we are given.

    So if I’m one of those travelers whose journeys gets cut short
    And leave the ones I leave behind wishin’ I had more time
    All I can say is I can’t add more days to my life
    So I’ll add more life to my days

    I love that. I can’t personally add a single minute to my life but I can choose to add more life to the time I am granted. I can definitely choose to be present and joyful each day. Every day is a gift of grace. I believe everyday has sacred moments so I can pray the Holy Spirit will give me eyes to see and savor those moments. Paul was sitting in a Roman prison as he finished his letter to the Church at Philippi. Could there be a more unlikely circumstance to coin these words to his fellow sojourners?

    Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, NLT)

    So if you want to add more life to your days here is a little checklist.

    • Quit worrying about tomorrow.
    • Be joyful in the Lord. Rejoice!
    • Look for sacred moments everyday.
    • Love God and one another.

    And for today’s conclusion I give Paul the final word.

    And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

  • I’m Done!

    I’m Done!

    I have reached and exceeded my saturation point.

    I’m done.

    Done with what? I am done with negativity. Our leaders, the media, and social media platforms spend a ridiculous percentage of their energy on what is wrong with this world. Their solutions are often soul-sucking condemnation, judgement, and summary dismissal of people who simply ask questions. Perhaps the most distressing thing is that many in the church have fallen into the same dark space. Christian social media responses to cultural and doctrinal issues may be slightly less profane but not much, if any, less negative.

    Brothers and sisters, we are supposed to be light! But please don’t take my word for it. Your argument is with Jesus.

    “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will
    praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16, NLT)

    What I see too often is this very sad paraphrase of His words demonstrated through social media platforms.

    “Let my sharp words shame or demean you so that everyone will see how clever I am and praise me.”

    Paul addressed why we should be eager to be light in the world in Ephesians 5:8.

    “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!“

    My heart breaks when I see how many followers of Christ seem to have forgotten they were once full of darkness. It is only because of God’s grace that you have light.

    So I am done with negativity and it is not because I am naive about the condition of the world. I am done with negativity precisely because of the condition of the world. This hurting, fearful populace needs hope, light, and grace. They need the positive message of the Good News. That is my goal for the rest of my days. I feel quite comfortable that the negative side will be well represented by countless others.

    Everyday I need to make choices.

    I can be judgmental or I can be joyful.
    I can be pessimistic or I can be prayerful.
    I can be condemning or I can be caring.
    I can be fearful or I can be faithful.
    I can be grace-filled or I can be graceless.

    We make those choices and I know they are not easy. Making the choice to eat better is hard. Making the choice to work out is even harder for me. Those are decisions with good but temporal benefits. But making the choice to be a positive, loving light in this world has eternal impact. Warren Wiersbe is one of my favorite writers. His book Be Joyful: Philippians): Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy is a great study to reorient your negativity.

    “When you have the single mind, you look on your circumstances as God-given opportunities for the furtherance of the gospel, and you rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do.”― Warren W. Wiersbe

    That response ain’t natural my friends. That is a mindset based on who God is. It is a choice grounded on the grace He has lavishly given to each one of His children. I’m done with negativity. I don’t know if I have two weeks or two decades left on this planet but I don’t want to spend my time wallowing in pessimism. I remember joking with my television production crew a few years ago that I was in the 4th quarter of life. One of my dear, encouraging friends said this with a smile on his face. “What if you’re in overtime?” That could well be but no matter how much time is on the life clock I want to be a positive light. I want to remember and live out the truth of John 13:35.

    “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

    The choice to love and be light is infinitely more important than winning online arguments, getting social media likes, and racking up followers. I want to be a loving light for the Good News of the gospel. Anyone want to join me?

  • When Reality Comes Around…

    When Reality Comes Around…

    Please forgive me for driving slowly down memory lane as I approach my 50th high school reunion this month. Soon after graduation I became a disc jockey at 1000 watt “powerhouse” WCHI in Chillicothe, Ohio. This was back in the days of turntables and actual vinyl records. I got to pick my own playlist that was mainly Top-40 pop. Unfortunately my playlist was often influenced by my emotional state. I didn’t realize I was doing that until a friend pointed out that I had thoroughly depressed them with my melancholy melodies that day. I would play “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” from the Bee Gees followed by “She’s Gone” by Hall and Oates followed by the Carpenters singing “Goodbye to Love”.  Not sure the sponsors (except maybe antidepressant manufacturers and counseling centers) wanted me to be such a musical downer.

    Another one of my go to songs to bring the listeners down was a song by Irish singer Gilbert O’Sullivan. Alone Again Naturally reached the top of the charts for several weeks and the tune popped up on satellite radio recenty. He sings about how life is good and full of promise and then everything changes. That would be called life.

    But as if to knock me down
    Reality came around
    And without so much as a mere touch
    Cut me into little pieces

    Leaving me to doubt
    Talk about God in His mercy
    Who if He really does exist
    Why did He desert me?

    In my hour of need
    I truly am indeed
    Alone again, naturally

    Those lyrics reflects the struggle of many former believers and struggling believers around us. Several people who are dear to me are going through deep valleys of heartache right now. They sometimes feel deserted and may wonder if God is there. This walk of faith was designed to be lived out in community. I think that is why so many struggle so mightily because we (as a body of believers) lean toward programs more easily than toward authentic community. Community is messy and hard and painful and incredibly fulfilling. My friend John Lynch describes that place of healing as the Room of Grace and I have yet to find a better descriptor of a place where God’s love is demonstrated to wounded sojourners. In the Room of Grace your problems, weirdness, neediness, and weakness does not result in judgment but in acceptance. In that room you can trust God and others with the truth about you and not be pushed away. Fellow inhabitants of the room run toward you when you hurt and not away. That place exists but there are not nearly enough rooms of grace. And if more such rooms were constructed the body of Christ would be a much healthier organism.

    It seems to me that there are more hearts
    Broken in the world that can’t be mended
    Left unattended
    What do we do? What do we do?

    What do we do? I had to acknowledge my own weakness and need for others. I had to lean fully on my dependence on Christ to live this journey out. No heroic self-effort on my part makes me a better Christian. It is all because of Christ. That flies in the face of the American values of being self-made and independent. As a Christian I must surrender self and be dependent to be used by God. I would suggest that we drop the pretense of “victory” over sin and the lie that a particular flavor of faith will result in prosperity, health and green lights during every road trip. That is not the Gospel. I would suggest that we get real about our struggles and let others know that their struggle is also ours. I would suggest that you pray for friends and family but also listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit as to how you can serve them. When a loved one comes to mind send them a note, call them, drop a card and take the time see how they are doing. Too many in the church feel unattended because we, His arms to the flock, are not reaching out. Walking with those who are struggling is draining. It can be ugly. There is no guarantee of success. But can I encourage you with this lesson learned? There is nothing more exciting that realizing that God has somehow divinely used your stumbling efforts in the life of one of His children. Nothing will make you worship more than seeing how God uses a humble and trusting heart far more effectively than a slick and convincing tongue.

    Paul wrote these words to the Church at Philippi.

    Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (Philippians 2, NLT)

    I see a grace revival stirring and we need it desperately. Because in a room of grace the broken hearts will not be left unattended. Pray for more rooms of His grace.

  • Rethinking Ministry

    Rethinking Ministry

    I can’t quit thinking about my friend Brad Johnson who passed away way too early (in my view) at the age of 57. What I can’t get out of my mind is the staggering impact he had in the lives of hundreds of people. God is using his homecoming to show how He can use a selfless and Christ-centered servant.

    Brad did not check off the typical boxes we have for big ministry success. He was not a well known preacher. No books or highly listened to podcasts. A modest social media presence. A lead pastor role that did not work out well. A period when he could not find a “ministry” job and worked at an ethanol production plant to support his family. Praise God he finally landed in a loving community at Hillcrest Evangelical Free Church that valued Brad Johnson’s remarkable relational skills.

    So how does this resume produce literally hundreds of stories of how Brad loved, encouraged, instructed, counseled, and shared the life changing message of grace? The answer is actually simple.

    Faithfulness.

    I know the struggles that Brad had over the years as he moved from place to place. He often wondered why he could not find a place to plant deep roots and preach the freedom giving Gospel of grace and identity in Christ. But he always did one thing consistently through times of joy and times of despair.

    He served and cared about others.

    Brad learned the lesson that the best way to forget your problems is to serve others with kindness, acceptance, and love. Immersing yourself in the lives of others is messy, sad and difficult. And in a great paradox of our faith, it is the most fulfilling thing you can do. Oswald Chambers talked about the God’s evaluation system and how different it is from our culture.

    “The real test of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel, but one’s willingness to do something like washing the disciples’ feet – that is, being willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God.”

    Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi about the importance of selfless serving.

    Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. (Philippians 2:3-4, NET)

    God puts opportunities to love and care for others in my path all the time. Sometimes I see them and respond. Sometimes I see them and make excuses why I can’t help. Sometimes I am simply too self-absorbed to see anything but my own problems. Martin Luther King had a wonderful quote that convicts me to be more open to the Holy Spirit’s gentle leading.

    “The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

    It was the humble and culturally disregarded Samaritan that had a heart to help. I think that was Brad’s heart. His life is causing me to reevaluate my ministry.

    I love writing my books and blogs. I hope that some things I have written have been helpful. I plan to continue writing because it forces me to examine my heart and it keeps me from binge watching Mr. Ed reruns on TV. But I am asking the Lord to increase the personal discipleship and mentoring aspect of my ministry. Brad Johnson demonstrated that there is no more impactful representation of Christ than caring enough to walk with a brother or sister through the ups and downs of life. Brad made you feel like the most important person in the room. He wept when you were sad and laughed like few could when things were good. Brad walked with people without condemnation. He was a person you could share everything, good and bad, and he would love you more for the telling. That is the kind of discipleship that initiates lasting and real change.

    Brad’s humble and relational ministry produced enough fruit to fill a Kingdom Farmers Market. You don’t need a counseling degree to love and care for others. You don’t need a seminary degree to walk with someone through life’s challenges with grace and acceptance. You don’t need special training to be fully present to serve others selflessly.

    Brad’s wife Deb told me that Brad sometimes lamented that he didn’t have a more prominent pulpit ministry. But this is what he told her…

    “If God has chosen for me to be on the background I am okay with that. I just need to be faithful to Him.”

    Billy Graham noted that “the highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service”.

    Nearly 700 people packing the auditorium and overflow room saw the powerful impact of selfless service. Another 3,000 have watched the celebration video. My prayer is that God’s message of how he can use a faithful servant will infect us all. I pray that this event will be a super-spreader of love, service, and kindness.

    As my friend John Weber often said. God doesn’t call us to be spectacular. He just calls us to be faithful. Brad was sometimes spectacular, but he was always faithful. After seeing the fruit of his life I hope my ministry will never be the same. And I want to live this truth for the rest of my days.

    Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 – NLT

  • Opening the Gift of Grace

    Opening the Gift of Grace

    “Lord I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I’d have come running with a bucket.” -Nancy Spiegelberg 

    That quote may be the most indicting summary of my misunderstanding of grace for decades. I am indeed Waking Up Slowly to the mystery and majesty of Grace. 

    Grace.

    It is a word that has lost some of its power through misuse and overuse. We banter about the ridiculous concept of cheap grace as if we must be wary of receiving a gift from our Father in Heaven. Are you kidding me? If we view grace like a sales pitch for a time share resort we are listening to the wrong voices. There are no strings attached with grace. No fine print. No hidden costs. No promises to lure you in that cannot be delivered in reality. Grace gives you full title to the resort and every benefit of the place. Even when you one star the facilities on Yelp!

    Grace

    Grace understood can never be viewed as a cheap gift. It cost Jesus everything. If you think grace is cheap I challenge you to kneel at the foot of the Cross and look up. There is nothing cheap about the transaction that Jesus suffered for you and me. I know that some people misuse grace. There is a word for that. Sin. The truth is that grace is the only real antidote for sin and should never, ever, ever, ever be the excuse for sin. Paul addressed the heresy that grace gives us license to sin. Here is a sampling of the translations of Paul’s undisguised dismay expressed in Romans at the very thought that the sweet grace of the Gospel would be abused.

    God forbid! (KJV)
    Of course not! (NLT)
    Absolutely not! (NET)
    May it never be! (NASB)
    By no means! (ESV)

    So I think we can all agree that no matter which translation you choose rationalizing grace as a sin excuse is abhorrent. I would suggest that line of thought is  only possible when you fail to understand the amazing power of this gift.

    Grace.

    If I was given the opportunity to communicate one message to every person in the world it would be a no-brainer for me. I would beg every person to open their minds and heart to the outrageous grace gift that God offers freely to each one of us. And do my best to convince the world that all you have to do is open that gift in faith. 

    I wish that everyone who hears the Gospel message would comprehend the one-way love that God demonstrates to everyone who will receive that love. Instead of turning His back on sinners who deserved just that God chose to reach out to His creation with a radical plan for forgiveness. A plan that is unlike any other religion in history. Man-made religion always demands something to earn salvation. God’s plan for redemption requires the lost to bring nothing to the table other than sin and need. Nothing. Any other presentation of the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ is a lie.

    Edwin Lutzer describes the prerequisite for grace.

    “When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God’s generous grace.” 

    How differently we would live if we remembered the gifts of grace. We are saints wrapped in the robe of righteousness. We are new creatures who are forgiven, accepted, and wrapped in this incomprehensible gift of grace. Even in our failure Jesus loves us anyway.

    Tim Keller wrote this very annoying sentence. “The deeper the experience of the free grace of God, the more generous we must become.”

    I can’t ignore the obvious action steps in that simple statement. As I write about grace and begin to understand the miracle of grace I should begin to demonstrate what grace looks like to a hurting world. If I am receiving grace I must also give it. If I welcome the generous gift of grace I must become more generous. If I accept the gift of forgiveness I must forgive. If I marvel at God’s unfailing love I must also love others. That is what the doubting world is looking for from the church. Grace, forgiveness and love.

    As Jesus faced the horror of the Cross He offered this command to His disciples.

    So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (John 14, NLT)

    I ask myself as I write these words. Does my love prove that I am a follower of Jesus? Does my heart reveal that I comprehend the magnitude of His grace? Living out of grace is not a tiring burden. It is a joyous response of gratitude if we stay focused on the source of that grace.

    Jesus offers this gift to anyone who chooses to follow Him. All you have to do is trust, open His amazing gift, and enjoy true freedom.

    Today’s musing was excerpted from Waking Up Slowly. Click here for more information.

  • The Rearview Mirror Is For Occasional Glances Only

    The Rearview Mirror Is For Occasional Glances Only

    The rearview mirror is critical for safe driving. But if you spend all of your time looking in the rearview mirror the trip will almost always end badly. That is a reflective (rimshot) metaphor for life. You need to glance in the past occasionally for perspective and clarity. But the rearview mirror is designed for reference only. No obsessing please.

    The quest to live in the present is best lived by looking around and just ahead. I love E.L.Doctorow’s quote about writing. I think this principle applies to writing, living and especially to living a life of faith.

    “It is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

    That is profoundly simple and true. Life is a fog. We wish we could see farther ahead on our journey but the truth is we cannot. You can only see as far at the light that illuminates your path. For a Christian that is all we need to know. That Light (Christ) reassures me that I can (and will) make the whole trip that way.

    Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi about his past. He wrote that what he used to view as valuable he now viewed as garbage compared to the priceless value of knowing Christ. He wrote about his desire to know Christ better. And then Paul gives us a note of encouragement and a path to achieve that goal.

    No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:13-14)

    That is the plan. You forget the past, look forward and then take one stride at a time to the finish line. You can’t backpedal and finish the race. You can’t run in place and finish the race.  You can’t take one mighty leap to finish the race. You certainly can’t stop and finish the race. It is about putting one foot in front of the other.

    Satan wants desperately to have us wallow in regret or shame of the past. Followers of Christ have an escape plan. Not easy to be sure. Sometimes professional counseling is needed to break the chains. But the power is there for healing. Bible teacher and author Warren Wiersbe offers a good perspective on this challenge as he analyzed how Paul related to the past.

    “Forgetting those things which are behind does not suggest an impossible feat of mental and psychological gymnastics by which we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past. There are things in Paul’s past that could have been weights to hold him back, but they became inspirations to speed him ahead. The events did not change, but his understanding of them changed.”

    We can’t magically erase the events and pain of our past but we can break their power. We can change the meaning of the past. We can live for the future. We can believe that we are new creations because of the finished work of Christ. And we can begin to see ourselves as God sees us. God knows all of that bad stuff about us but He chooses not to remember any of it. When the accuser tries to convict us of past events his indictments fall on deaf ears. The past does not define us. Jesus does. Past events and hurts do not defeat us because we can advance, one step at a time, toward the goal set before us.

    One of my favorite Olympic memories involves a runner who was the last to cross the finish line. Derek Redmond was an elite athlete who had a chance to bring home a medal as Great Britain’s 400-Meter representative. After an injury plagued career Redmon seemed ready to leave a lasting legacy at the Games. He had recorded the fastest time in the first round and won his quarter-final race. He started well in the semi-final but about 150 meters into the race his hamstring snapped and he collapsed in agony. Medical personnel and stretcher bearers rushed to his aid but Redmond waved them off. He struggled to his feet and began to hobble around the track. He was going to finish the race.

    Cheers rang out for the winner but then the crowed of 65,000 began to comprehend the drama unfolding of a solitary figure limping in agony toward the finish. The crowd rose and cheered the courageous Redmon. Another official offered help and was brushed away. A man broke through security and ran on the track and there was no stopping this man.

    It was Derek Redmon’s father. At first Derek seemed ready to wave him off too but then he recognized this helper. He buried his face in his father’s chest and sobbed.

    Jim Redmond told his son that he was loved and didn’t have to do this. But Derek set his eyes toward the finish and simply said “Yes, I do”.

    His father replied, “Then we will finish this together.”

    Leaning on his father’s shoulder Derek Redmon limped to the finish. Near the end Jim let his son go so he could cross the finish line on his own. A standing ovation greeted Redmon. Olympic records record that Derek Redmon did not finish because he received help. I would argue that no Olympian has ever finished better than Derek Redmon as he refused to let adversity keep him from the prize of finishing the race. Not winning. Finishing. That is such a beautiful image of how our earthly race often looks. I suspect that many who achieve Heavenly standing ovations will finish with a limp and with eyes focused solely on Jesus.

    And that is how I see my race that Paul describes so beautifully.

    Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

    When I fall or am hurt again I know that I can bury my face in the comforting chest of Abba Father and we will finish together.

    Excerpted from Waking Up Slowly: Spiritual Lessons from My Dog, My Kids, Critters, and Other Unexpected Places.

  • A House Divided Cannot Stand. Will We Let It Fall?

    A House Divided Cannot Stand. Will We Let It Fall?

    I used to joke that it is hard to find a good Evangelical math teacher because the only thing they completely understand is division. I am not sure I think that is humorous anymore as I watch the heartbreaking division in the body of believers that I love and call family.

    My head explodes when I allow myself to wade into the discourse between followers of Jesus Christ on Twitter and other social media. There are important cultural issues that Christians need to prayerfully and gracefully seek God’s wisdom to address. What I see is rarely graceful and that makes me wonder how prayerful the messengers have been before hitting the send button.

    Because of the nature of social media a topic that should be thoughtfully debated instead becomes an us versus them war. The discourse easily drifts toward broad brushing of large segments of the body of Christ with unfair assignation of motives.

    These judgements of motives and personal attacks are so damaging to the message of grace that I hold so dear. Sometimes I try to imagine myself as a skeptical seeker looking to explore this Christianity thing. I am pretty sure if I stumbled on some of these mean-spirited threads I would run straight for the secular hills.

    The irony of this need to “win” the argument at the expense of Christian charity and love may be one more profoundly effective tactic of the enemy. The moment the Church is divided by culture instead of united in Christ is the moment our light is extinguished. Paul noted that God’s sovereignty can take any proclamation of the Gospel and use it for His glory.

    It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. Phillipians 1:15-18

    I hope that most of us wish to communicate the incredibly liberating forgiveness of the Gospel. I hope that most of us wish to be accurate in that communication. But I also hope that most of us wish to be gracious, kind, loving, and thoughtful toward all in the body who desire to celebrate Jesus.

    When asked what the most important commandment was Jesus replied without hesitation.

    “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

    And he added a second part…”Be accurate and angrily make sure others are accurate at all costs.”

    Hardly. His convicting command is well known.

    The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”

    Don’t hijack my point. Accuracy is important but you cannot love your neighbor as yourself with condescension, assigning of bad motives, and smug righteousness.

    I wish followers of Jesus would proclaim what we are FOR more passionately than what we are against. What if we decided to spend all of our energy proclaiming that the Son of God came to earth as a human, lived a sinless life, was crucified as a sacrifice for my sin and yours and then was resurrected to show the ultimate victory over sin and death.

    What if we decided to be a little kinder, give a little more, serve a little more often, and commit to unity in our ranks. Joni Erickson Tada has been a quadriplegic for over fifty years yet her joy exceeds most of us when we have a hangnail. She had this to say about unity.

    “Believers are never told to become one; we already are one and are expected to act like it.”

    I have reached the conclusion that lack of unity is the single biggest problem in the universal church and, of course, in our individual fellowships. When a major league baseball team starts to lose games regularly, it is said to have “bad clubhouse chemistry.” That’s a fancy way of saying, “This team doesn’t get along, and the players don’t work well together.” How sad that “congregational chemistry” has the same effect on winning…only our losses are eternal.

    There is no more powerful community than a group of believers who live in unity. Nothing levels the playing field like genuinely following Jesus.

    Famous preacher D.L. Moody had this warning. “I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord’s people were divided.”

    The One that unites us is so much more important than the things that divide us. Can we commit to pray for unity in the body of Christ? The choice is ours.