Life is a gift
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:5-7)
God gives us life! And God gives it to us every day, we don’t self-sustain, can’t self-sustain ourselves – life is a gift of God literally everyday.
I know it’s not the main point behind the verses above but in the last 24hrs the words;
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live…”
Have taken on fresh meaning for me as I know God has kept me from what could easily have been a life threatening condition residing in me and yet seemingly innocuous and unseen.
God grants life to you and to me.
Today I am gladly unwrapping that gift, will you?
Today I am thanking God the Giver of that gift, acknowledging that my Heavenly Father is the source, will you too?
And what does God my Father want me to do with this gift I’ve received again today?
to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May I, may we in Oasis Church live in harmony with one another in such a way that demonstrates our having been given life by and united to and in Christ.
Thinking about it for a moment, hamorny requires diversity! All signing the same note or all playing the same instrument in the same chord is a group of singers or musicians but for it to be harmony what’s required is diversity that joins together to create something greater together than the individual comments can be apart.
And there in lies the wonder of the church of Jesus Christ – a community of faith who have been granted life, who are now living, serving God’s mission with these moments we are given in harmony with one another despite our diversity in such a way that underlines what has happened to us in Christ and in such a way that brings glory to God.
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
In closing this idea Scripture appeals to you and to me, to be welcoming, to receive one another, to accept one another into our lives and homes!
Why? Because that’s what God has done to us, for us in sending us Jesus. God took the initiative to reach out to you and I, Jesus made the first step towards us, Jesus left His comfort zone in order to reach out to you and to me so that He could live, be understood and ultimately die in our place for our sin and rise again victorious for our resssurection and eternal life!
So too today, may we, may I welcome others as I have been shown this heavenly welcome. Today let me, let you use this life gift to harmonize with others in the church and to extend God’s outstretched welcome to all.
The result will be that people will be loved and God will be glorified as He should as He is the source of all of this.
Two words that matter 