CONTRARY TRIBALISM

CONTRARY TRIBALISM

Monday, December 19, 2016

Jude [MKJV] 1:1-3 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the ones called in God the Father, having been set apart, and having been kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

  It didn’t take long after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden for tribalism to become customary. Reviewing history we see it convoluted culturally and geographically. In USA contemporary history , other than sports team rivalry, our citizenship general opined that tribalism is over there, not here; a US ßà them. But that was yesterday, and now here it’s spelled “NO COMPROMISE!!”

  Anyone not noticing the drastic change hasn’t been following current news. Including the NIMBY Cherry County (NE) wind farm battle the morning news reports are full of rancorous divisions. The lingering factionalism of the last national election is a major illustrative case. No musketry as yet, and I pray never to be, but citizenry attitudes remind me of our pre-civil war history and the thereafter that took many decades to alleviate from utmost to lesser.

  Is such rancorous divisive implacable tribalism a sin? I believe so.

·         Sin is missing the target, erring from the path that merciful Sovereign Jehovah God has set before us.

·         Sin is counter to authentic “worship” as is explained in Romans 12:1-3.  

·         Sin is counter to “charity” explained in 1Corinthians 13.

  Please carefully prayerfully consider the passage I’ve chosen for meditation this day:

Philippians 4:4-5

(ASV)  Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

(CEV)  Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.

(ESV)  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

(GW)  Always be joyful in the Lord! I'll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near.

(ISV)  Keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. I will say it again: Keep on rejoicing! Let your gracious attitude be known to all people. The Lord is near:

(KJV)  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

  Seriously considering all of the above in the light of the exhortation that we are to “contend earnestly for the faith”, said efforts grounded in Christian moderation negating or alleviating personal or group contentiousness, we may enjoy and contribute to an authentic merry Christ-mas.

EBB4