The fattest man in the Bible meets the only left-handed man in the Bible, and the outcome is explosive. Why is this story told in such shocking detail? So we'll see how God works everything out in our lives. Down to the smallest detail.
In the book of Judges the people of God live in moral chaos and confusion. How did things get so bad? Parents, that half-way followed the Lord raised kids that didn't follow the Lord at all. So much is lost in a single generation.
Anywhere you see true love, somebody sacrificed. Love is Sacrifice. The greatest love of all was proven in the greatest sacrifice of all. And it was all for you. Do you even realize how very loved you are?
Jesus told the rich man to trade his wealth for treasure in HEAVEN, where gold is used for paving streets. In other words, gold is worthless up there, so it can't be worth much down here either. Hearing this, the rich man walked away sad. Poor guy.
Back in the day a momma tied her apron strip to the baby so it couldn't wander while she worked. Once it was old enough, she cut the string. Parents, you gotta cut the string. They are not supposed to be tied to you all their lives. They are supposed to become anchored in Christ.
In 1974 a prominent group of theologians known as Nazareth sang and told us " Love Hurts." Don't believe it. Love never causes pain. It's when people fail to love that somebody gets hurt.
In the church, the Spirit makes us one. We are not trying to create a unity we don't have. We are trying to hang on to a unity we don't want to lose.
Living for Jesus requires your radical commitment to loving the people you go to church with. No exceptions. If you don't get this part of what it means to love Jesus, you haven't gotten any part of it.
Is church unity ever a bad thing? It depends on what unifies us. There are lots of idle churches totally unified in their decline. Wouldn't you rather trade in the unity of doing nothing for the unity of a shared adventure in Christ?