Refuse to be Used
How good and pleasant it is when
brothers live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
Addie wasn’t just disappointed, she
was angry, “This carpet is the wrong shade of blue! We ordered
‘Slate Blue’, not ‘Saxony Blue’!”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” the driver
said. “This is what the purchase order said to deliver,” he said,
showing her the manifest.
“I don’t care what your piece of
paper says! I know what we ordered!”
The driver was getting uncomfortable.
He’d had unsatisfied customers before, but this lady was coming
unglued. “Well, why don’t we call the store and talk to the
salesman who sold you the carpet.”
“You do that!” she spat. “And
while you’re doing that, I’ll call the pastor and we’ll see
what he has to say about your establishment’s incompetence!”
In truth, the color difference in the
two shades was virtually indiscernible. But this woman was acting
like he’d sold her firstborn into captivity.
As the driver dialed his boss, the
thought popped into his head that Dad was right; carpet color
creates major issues when it comes to dealing with churches.
†
Sound silly? Unfortunately, today’s
story is factual. More churches have split over the color of their
new carpet or the style of chairs or pews to use in the sanctuary
than theological or doctrinal differences.
David, in today’s text, had seen both
the good and bad in people by the time he wrote the 133 Psalm. He,
like his son, Solomon, discovered that living in unity was preferable
to an atmosphere of strife and dysfunction. Both wrote frequently
about the benefits of being like-minded and working together instead
of letting little things become much larger issues. They knew that
when pettiness surfaces, good sense goes out the window. Sensible
people become irrational and nasty, and nothing can stop a move of
God more quickly.
Satan searches constantly for petty
hearts within the church, and wherever he can find willing
participants, he puts them to work.
The only way to ensure that God has His
way with in our lives is for us to refuse to be used by the enemy.”
Prayer
“Holy
Spirit, make me aware when Satan is trying to enlist my
participation. Show me if I
become petty and divisive. Help me create a spirit of unity among the
brethren. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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