Week 10

Building A Relationship With God

1 Corinthians 1:9-10 (KJV)

9-God is faithful, by whom ye were called with the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10-Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Have you noticed lately how divided we are? The whole world seems divided. Our nation is divided, our government is divided. Individuals are picking and choosing sides. No one is satisfied. Riots, protests, killing, threats. People are afraid of their neighbors. Fear is running rampant. Politicians and media are grasping every situation and comment to feed fear in people’s hearts.

We are a diverse group of people. Variety. We all have different opinions. We all have qualities that God himself put within us. We are all different sizes and shapes. Some of us have unruly curls, while others have straight hair. We are all born different; but we are all here for the same purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:9 tells us we are called to fellowship with God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Verse 10 tells us to have no divisions among us and to be joined together. Jesus’ blood binds us together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Something wonderful happens when we get closer to God. We start to see people as people. Compassion fills our once hardened hearts and we start to be able to separate sin from individual. Your neighbor who fights with his wife in the middle of the night, raising his hand to her and scarring his children, is a hurting lost soul. You don’t have to get in his business; but you can smile and wave when you see him out. You can be an example of a Godly husband or wife and show him something different. This is letting God’s light shine.

It is a hard thing to separate a person from their sin. It is easy to jump on the bandwagon and run down all who are different from us. This is a daily struggle. In the workplace, we are immersed in the world. We see all kinds of sin. We see it in the grocery store, at our children’s ball games. Sin is in this world; but so are God’s people. You see, God made us all. We can’t beat people over the head with a bible expecting seeds to sprinkle down and magically transform those lost.

James 1:19-20 (KJV)

19-Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20-For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

This week I leave you with one task. When you are faced with an unfair, sinful situation; take it to God in prayer. Search for an answer in God’s word and let the love of Christ’s light shine brighter than your own.

Have a blessed week in Christ!

Jeanie Hannah