One Another-ing
It is very easy to get caught up in thinking about ourselves and our wants and even perceive those wants as needs. When we truly focus on what God wants from us we can see how important it is for us to honor Him and be loving to one another. During this times of the year there is much discussion regarding politics and a number of divisive things are being said. While not everyone engaged in these discussions are Christ followers, some of these people are or at least believe themselves to be overlooking that in favor of personal wants that are outside of the glory of God. Doing a Google search of "how many one another bible verses" I found a document that counts 59 uses of one another in the New Testament. Here are a few that I would like to highlight.
In Mark 9:50 Jesus is talking about having salt in ourselves. Salt here can be used as a reference to sacrifices that were covered with salt and/or salt being a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, " Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." This does not mean do it on your own accord but have the Holy Spirit in you as that also relates to a sacrifice of self. By that sacrifice of self and having the Holy Spirit in us, we can "be at peace with one another." It is hard to say or do divisive things when you have submitted your will to God. If you stay focused on being served then you are part of the problem.
We have probably covered John 13:34-35 numerous times about loving one another (Jesus's command) and that is how people will know we are Christ followers. But, let's take it a step further. What task is so beneath you that you would never do it? Cleaning toilets? Taking out the trash? Well, Jesus was so humble in his living that something as low as washing someone's feet was not beneath him. How would you sacrifice for your brother or sister in Christ if they needed you to? Would you allow yourself to be degraded in a sense to meet a need for them? Jesus says in John 13:14-15 that since he has done this that we should do the same type of activity as he has shown us an example of how to be.
Finally, I leave you with one more. Being a Christ follower does not equate to perfection from the eyes of others. It means being dedicated to God's will. It means accepting the Holy Spirit as your guide and God's grace through Christ. In Romans 15:7, Paul says something very important that often gets overlooked. He says, "Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." This does not mean that we accept sin and just say it is okay, but remember where you were when first became a Christ follower. Remember the grace you needed or had. Now apply that to others. We are all works in progress. Love them enough to let them grow.
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Bear with One Another in Love
There is so much we can miss when we chose (yes it is a choice) to not honor God with our words and hearts. When we are not honoring God, then we are not honoring others either. When you submit your will to Christ and let the Holy Spirit work through you, ideas like those found in Ephesians 4:2-3 are easier (not easy) to follow through on. It is not about doing it on your own volition but it is that of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." That humility and gentleness and patience all come from the Holy Spirit and these are a part of the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). Furthermore, in Ephesians 4:29, Paul tells the Ephesian church to watch what they say. He tells them to use their mouths to speak words to build each other up, not tear one another down.
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Love Out Loud
For those of us who text and love to use acronyms during communication we have all seen LOL which stands for "laugh out loud." I was sitting here thinking of another topic and I thought, what if we take that acronym and change the meaning, or add a meaning to it. Let's change LOL to mean "Love Out Loud." I know, that seems corny, but think about how different this can be. How many times do we criticize out loud? How many times do we tell people what we do not like about them out loud. But, when it comes to loving them and sharing what we love about them, we don't tell them. Ever. Just for today, try something different. For the person that you criticize the most (spouse, child, friend, celebrity on twitter- haha) use that same energy to focus on being loving. Jesus didn't go around critiquing everyone all the time, but you do. Flip it. Use today to be loving as Christ loves you for your shortcomings, mistakes and bad decisions.
Sometimes we need some verses to help us remember to be loving. I like the one which is often known as the "Golden Rule" which is Luke 6:31. It tells us do to others as we would want them to do to us. I mean think about it, if we all treated people they way we would want to be treated I think we would all be in a better place. If you don't like being yelled at and cut down, then don't do it to others. If you don't like being criticized in public, then don't do it to others. Flip it. Be loving and encouraging in public. No backhanded compliments, but genuine love. Let it flow from you freely for the benefit of others.
Lastly, let us remember 1 John 4:11. This verse tells us to love one another as God loves us (as I stated in the first paragraph). Even someone who doesn't "deserve" it. No where does scripture tell you to be mean or cruel to someone because you don't like them. We follow Christ. He didn't go around putting people down and telling them that they don't deserve to be loved or forgiven or given grace. Remember Christ is our example. Study his life and follow the example.
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