Monday, August 19, 2013

#20 - why not simply leave the "one another's" to the pros?

Colossians 3:16-17

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, reaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

There are over fifty “one anothers” in the New Testament. And all of them are written to us, believers, the church body. They are not written solely to the pastors or the elders or the deacons. They are not written to the super spiritual or the “saints” who have it all together. They are written to us, at whatever stage of the Christian walk we are currently found.

In chapter three of Colossians alone, we are told to “bear with one another,” “forgive one another,” and “admonish one another.” For you grammar geeks out there, “one another” is a reciprocal pronoun, which means it’s supposed to be mutual, reciprocal, i.e., everyone gets to do it. No one gets out of these commands. And they are all commands dealing with how we love and relate to other people. Yes, the pastors and elders and deacons of Candeo Church will bear with us, and forgive us, and admonish us. But, we too must join in the “one anothers” and do the same with each other and those that God puts in our paths.

Looking just at the “one anothers” in chapter three of Colossians, we must bear with one another. Do you do this? Do I do this? Do I bear with the mistakes of my spouse or my roommate? Do I bear with the annoying habits of my brother or my friend? We must forgive one another. Do I forgive quickly and completely when someone sins against me? When my spouse hurts me with words or actions? When my friend fails to keep his word? We must admonish one another. Do I challenge my spouse and push them to become more like Christ? Do I call out sin in my friend’s life rather than ignoring it?

If we leave the “one anothers” to the “pros,” many of God’s dearly loved people will fall through the cracks. They will not feel God’s love through His church as He intended it to be. They will not know what it means to be part of the body of Christ.

We can’t leave the “one anothers” to the pros, because we are the “one anothers.”

Lord, forgive me for failing to obey your clear commands and failing to truly love others. Forgive me for expecting others to step up and do the work that you want me to do. Help me this week to bear with those people around me that I struggle to love as you love. Help me to forgive readily and completely. And help me to be bold enough to challenge and correct my brothers and sisters in Christ. Forgive me for thinking that is the pastor’s job alone and not mine. Let me be your arms and your feet to a lost and hurting world. Let me be your voice of encouragement to a brother or sister who is discouraged. And let it all be in your name, for your glory! Amen.