COMMUNITY AND MUTUAL RESPECT

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.”  (1 Corinthians 13:4-6 NRSV)

It is essential to remember that our differences do not make us superior or inferior to one another – in churches, in communities, in politics. As members of the human family, we must strive to understand the other, reducing our tendencies to be arrogant or rude. Each of us has unique gifts to offer and roles to play, and it is through recognizing and valuing these differences that we can foster a sense of community and mutual respect.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:21, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" This powerful metaphor illustrates the importance of interdependence and collaboration. In politics, as in life, we all need each other to create a harmonious and functioning society.

Arrogance and rudeness often stem from a failure to acknowledge our interconnectedness. When we appreciate the diversity of our gifts and functions, we are drawn into a deeper understanding of our common humanity. Let us strive to approach political discourse with humility and respect, recognizing that every voice and perspective has something to offer. By doing so, we can build a more compassionate world. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

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THE BODY OF CHRIST

“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  (Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV)

Many Christians today feel that their walk with God is private and independent. They see no need for joining a church or making themselves accountable to other believers. Some view the church in terms of how it can help then accomplish the ministry God has given them personally, rather than seeking how their lives fit into the larger work the Lord is doing in the congregation. The Bible teaches that our walk with God is personal, but it is not private. Sin makes people independent. Salvation makes us interdependent on one another. Scripture teaches that the church is a body in which each member is vitally important to the others. 

-- Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby and Claude King in “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”

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INTERDEPENDENCE DAY

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care -- then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”   (Philippians 2:1-4 The Message)

July 4^th, Independence Day in the US, is now in our rearview mirror. We have celebrated our independence and our freedom, and rightly so. And yet it seems that today our drive for independence and freedom means I can do whatever I want, no matter the consequences on others. The polarization of society and the news headlines seem to indicate as much. Maybe we need another holiday – Interdependence Day, a day that we embrace interdependence without seeing it as a threat to our freedom.

The Christian life is an intensely personal matter, for the Spirit of Christ dwells at the very core of our beings. But it is never a private affair just between us and God. The interdependence found in Christian community provides the means of support to stay on the right road and the corrective against going down our own paths of self-obsession and sometimes self-destruction. It also provides a witness to the world that an other-focused interdependence is much healthier in the long run than a self-absorbed independence. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

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OUR NEED FOR NEIGHBORS

"Never abandon a friend -- either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away." (Proverbs 27:10 NLT)

Often it takes a moment of crisis to wake us up to our need for others, making us aware of the interdependence that is a natural part of being human. When things are going well, we tend to live an illusion of independence, not only from God but also from our fellow human beings. As long as life moves smoothly forward, we tend to think we can handle everything on our own. However, a passing storm -- any kind of setback or crisis -- reminds us that we need help.

-- Sarah Parsons in “A Clearing Season”


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HELPING ONE ANOTHER

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)

Picture two travelers in the desert. One is dying of thirst. The other has a huge jug of water, but he’s exhausted from carrying it. Eventually, one dies of thirst, then the other of fatigue.

All right, it’s a gloomy ending. Let’s try it another way. The thirsty man says, “”Hey, why not give me a drink and I’ll help you carry your jug?” That’s all it would take for both to survive.

Many in our society are like the first two travelers. We guard our independence. We strive to be self-sufficient. We don’t want to need each other. But if we’re going to survive in these changing times, we must leave rugged individualism behind. We’re not meant to go it alone. We can help one another. Each of us has resources to offer.

-- David Mains, Marian Oliver, Randy Peterson in “Survival Skills for Changing Times”

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