With unmistakable inspiration and
insight, the psalmist wrote "Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity!" (Psa. 133:1). Such was God's intent for mankind from
creation, but even within the first one hundred and thirty years of
man being placed in a beautiful garden of peace and tranquility, the
harmony of this first family was shattered when Cain killed his
brother Abel.
Even David who penned these words
of encouragement and hope was destined to live a life of turmoil and
pain from strife within his own family. His father-in-law sought his
life. Because of his sin with Bathsheba his son died. Another
son had his own brother murdered. His son, Absalom, rebelled in
seeking David's kingship and committed adultery with David's
concubines. This son was killed in fleeing from David and David
mourned at the loss of this rebellious son. As God had said to David
through Nathan, the prophet, "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house"
(2 Sam. 12:10). What misery David must have suffered.
THIS
CONTINUES TO BE A SPOT IN OUR "GARMENTS OF WHITE"
How sad that what could have been
a beautiful world in which to live, has through the centuries been
marred by strife among its inhabitants. Among the causes of such the
Scriptures lists: anger, wrath, envy, jealously, pride, bitterness,
failure to forgive, holding grudges, and such like. These are the
result of the lack of self-control, often prompted by lack of patience
and failure to consider the feelings and needs of our fellow-kin in
the family of our heavenly Father. It is such a tragedy that we for
whom Jesus gave His precious blood are often torn by strife. It should
not and does not have to be!
Matters will not always go as we
feel they should; and sometimes it is best that they do not – for we
are not always correct. We are advised, "Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others" (Phil 2:4). We must learn to not be too critical, but
with patience permit another point of view.
If we stand corrected, be
grateful that our brother thought enough of us to point us in the
right direction. He might have saved us from a harmful or embarrassing
mistake. We must not allow pride or ego to rob us of the opportunity
to perfect ourselves as we mature in age and experience. An orchestra
cannot properly perform unless the instruments are played in harmony.
A football team will never win unless the players coordinate their
efforts. A family cannot enjoy life together unless they
pull-together. The Lord's church cannot be the light intended by God
for it to be, nor the individual members feel the closeness that
should exist, unless it follows the admonition of Paul, "Fulfil
ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind" (Phil 2:2). Then he adds, "Let
nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves" (v. 3). The
church is composed of individuals whose lives and conduct should
enhance a feeling of belonging to those within and encourage
acceptance by those who view it from without.
Qualities
Which Promote Peace and Unity
Have you noticed that often those
who are avoided by others constantly complain and find fault, mostly
speak in the negative, rarely compliment others for their success, and
seldom smile? You feel uneasy in their presence, don't you? Have you
noticed others avoiding you? Could this perhaps be your own problem?
To humbly follow Paul's advice in Philippians 2:14-15 will surely aid
in correcting this situation, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may
be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights
in the world."
What a grand contribution we can
make toward peace and harmony when we display the "fruit
of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23) such as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance" all of which are in perfect accord with
the will and desire of our Father.
What a blessing it would be, both
for him and ourselves, when another brother "be
overtaken in a fault" and we "which
are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness,
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). I
do not always like what I see in the mirror; but it tells the truth. I
can only adjust that image by correcting the person it reflects.
The
Benefit in Being a Peacemaker
"Be
of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall
bewith you" (2 Cor. 13:11).
James wrote, "The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them thatmake peace" (3:18).
Jesus Himself said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God" (Mat. 5:9).
Many of our ills, both emotional and physical, would be eliminated if
we lived in an atmosphere free from strife, but where instead peace
and harmony prevailed. We ourselves, yes you and me, can be the
instrument God uses in bringing this about if we will only permit His
presence to control our thoughts and conduct.
Indeed, "How
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
(Psalms 133:1)
Question:
I often hear the expression “we are to glorify God”.Can you explain this?
Answer:
This expression is very common today. Some people use it in an
irreverent way while others use it quite seriously. Either way we know
that it is a Biblical principle that every Christian is responsible
for implementing in the life that they live for the Lord.
We will begin by examining the concept of
glorifying God. The word glory comes from the Greek word doxa
which literally translated refers to majesty, honor, or fame. All of
which are applicable to God. God is often referred to as the God of
glory. This shows that glory is not something that God needs added to
Him. It is a description of His very nature. Some see the idea of
glorifying God as something that we add to God. The Bible teaches that
He already possesses glory. It is our duty to draw attention to the
glory that describes Him. Therefore we by the life that we live should
glorify God.
The subject of glorifying God is indeed a deep
one and we recognize that we cannot completely cover this subject in
this brief article. We, however, do want to provide a few observations
concerning it.
All things that God does is for His glory. In
fact the creation of the world and all created things both angelic and
earthly were created to glorify God, to draw attention to His very
nature. Consider the psalmist in Psalms 19. David writes,
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows
His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech. And night unto night
reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice
is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth and their
words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the
Sun. Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices
like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of
heaven, and its circuit to the other end; and there is nothing hidden
from its heat.” (Psa. 19:1-6)
The concept of glorifying God is plainly given
in the first few words. Note that things created declare God’s glory
by showing His wisdom and power. This entire passage illustrates how
the created universe glorifies God.
Just as the natural world was created to
glorify God so was it to be with the creation of man. Man was the
crowning act of God’s creation. It was God’s intent that humankind
glorify Him. However Satan did not like all the attention being given
to God and thus sin entered the world. It was Satan’s intent to
receive glory and if not at the very least keep God from receiving it!
However, God had a plan. This plan was to
glorify Himself by providing redemption and reconciliation to mankind
through His Son. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and by so doing
He glorified His Father. In John 17, Jesus prays unto the Father right
before His crucifixion. Note carefully His words.
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and
said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also
may glorify you, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that
He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. And this
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have
finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now; O Father,
glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You
before the world was.” (John 17:1-5)
There are several points in this passage that
is worth noting but we will draw our reader to two. The first is that
glory was inherent in the nature of God before He created the world.
This establishes once again that glorifying God does not mean to add
to God anything that He lacks but to draw attention to that which He
possesses. Jesus asked that both He and the Father be glorified with
the glory they had before the world was! The second thing to note is
that Jesus glorified the Father by giving eternal life to those who
receive Him. Even our salvation is about God’s glory!
Now we turn our attention to our part in this
subject. How do we glorify God?
As the passage in John 17 suggests, we glorify
God through the Son. When we obey the Gospel we draw attention to the
loving God who gives us life both physical and eternal. We are
cleansed, redeemed from sin, and reconciled unto God and this in
itself speaks volumes about the God whom we serve! He demonstrates His
loving nature by forgiving our sin through His Son.
In addition to our redemption, we now live a
life that bears record of the wonderful God who saved us. Peter in 2
Peter 3:17-18 explains how this is done. He writes,
“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware
lest you also fall from you own steadfastness, being led away with the
error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever.”
Peter shows us that as
the redeemed we are to become like the Savior who saved us. We do so
by growing in His grace and knowledge. As we become like Him we
glorify Him.
The apostle Paul teaches us that our life that
we live in Christ is all about us becoming like Him. We are to become
partakers of His nature.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
The
purpose of Christ-likeness in our life is that we glorify God. As
Christians everything we do becomes about the glory of God.
THE
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