DIVISIVENESS IN VALUATION

DIVISIVENESS IN VALUATION

Monday, March 13, 2017

Dear fellow travelers,

  As a learning experience I continue to occasionally review my past written thoughts. Below is the first one I tagged this day. I pray the thought will stir you as it stirred me then and now.

To serve Him all my days,

Ed Bullock

1Corinthians GW 10:1-5 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that all our ancestors who left Egypt were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea. They were all united with Moses by baptism in the cloud and in the sea. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them, and that rock was Christ.  Yet, God was not pleased with most of them, so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.

James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren't they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you?

  Christian congregations are gathering for worship. Pertaining to our personal involvement, is it as place of comparative valuation or as a body in Christ-like Bible-centered concord?

  Are we ensnared as associate in a crowd of self-centered comparative valuators being divisively counterproductive?

  Or Biblically, as a body in commonality as God’s family, loving and respectful, effective in and by godly affection; pleasing to our Father?

  If need be, let us hear and heed God’s Word:

  “Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants-what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers. Our bodies have many parts, but these parts don't all do the same thing. In the same way, even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other.” (GW Rom.12:1-5)

  “There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person. The evidence of the Spirit's presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone.” (GW 1Cor.12:4-7) 

  Walking far from pride, let us in all humility submit to the will of God; Distancing ourselves from worldly quest for elevation, loving and respecting every brother and sister without egocentric assessment, thereby honoring God and one another, realizing joy unspeakable.   

EBB4 (Sunday 1/10/10)