March

March 1, 2008
Kevin Wood
  

Doing Things in the Right Way

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."   Colossians 3: 12-14

As Christians we cannot be satisfied with doing the right things.  And, we cannot be satisfied with doing good things.  Rather, we have to ask the question, are we doing the right thing in the right way? 

How do you do things in the right way?  I believe the passage above gives a few clues about doing things in the right way.  Paul in writing his letter to the Colossians was not just concerned that they do good things.  Rather, he was concerned that as they pursued God’s purposes that they treat each other with love and respect.

The phrase Paul used was “bear with each other.”  What did Paul mean when he directed us to “bear with each other.”?   What he meant was that people are different.  We have different priorities, hopes, and dreams.  We look different, feel different, speak differently, and live differently.  We work different jobs and have differing families and lifestyles.  And, what does all that mean?  It means, in the midst of all of these differences we must “bear with each other.”

In the upcoming months we will be talking about building a new building and selling our present building.  We will be discussing what the new building will look like and the exact nature of our new facilities.  The key to successfully passing through that time with a vibrant loving church family in tact will be “bearing with each other.”

So, the question is not just how do we build the best building we can so that God gets the glory?  We also have to ask how we can do this in the right way.  How can we walk together through this process and stay in love with God and each other in the process?  The answer to these questions is found in the phrase, “bear with each other.”

So, let us move forward and build a great building.  Let us continue to focus on ministry and reaching people for Christ.  But, let’s don’t forget to do things in the right way.   And, love each other as Christ loves us.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

Kevin