Thursday, August 15, 2013

The One Another’s of Scripture



About two weeks ago, Andy did an amazing message on the fact that you cannot “one another one another” if you aren’t involved in the lives of other people.  Relationships are an essential and vital part of fulfilling these mandates from Scripture.  They are reciprocal in nature.  For example, you cannot forgive one another by yourself.

The Trinity is maybe the greatest example for God’s intention for us to live within a context of relationships. For Christians, one of the best things about our faith is being brought into a relationship with God and becoming a part of His family, and it’s a big family!  We are hard wired for community, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of reading in the Bible to understand how much God values relationships.  Therefore, we should, too.

I began to wonder what the “one another’s” are in Scripture.  In reading them, I thought this blog would be the perfect place to share them, as we are not only seeking to hide God’s word in our hearts, but to apply what we’ve learned.  Could you imagine the impact that would be made in our marriages, families, neighborhoods, work environments…if we asked God to help us apply these in our lives consistently and from the heart?  I believe God loves when we dream and ask big when it comes to applying His Word!    

Ladies, I invite you to choose to memorize one of the below Scriptures, believing God is going to give you the opportunity to put it to good use in your life and the lives of those on the receiving end – the “other” of your one an-other! 

Accept one another. Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Be kind and compassionate to one another; forgive one another.  Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Bear one another’s burden.  Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Bear with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Build one another up. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Confess our faults to one another. James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Do not pass judgment on one another. Romans 14:13
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Do not slander one another. James 4:11
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.

Encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Forgive one another.  Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss. Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Love one another. 1 John 3:11
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Pray for one another. James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Serve one another in love.  Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Ephesians 5:19-20
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another.  Ephesians 5:21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Teach and admonish one another. Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

My verse for this month comes from this list.  I chose Romans 15:7,

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” 

I have witnessed the power of acceptance and, unfortunately, the damage of rejection, multiple times this year and it has made a profound impact on my life.  I want to be known as one who accepts others, like Jesus did for me. 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Sing a Song Unto the Lord



One of the ways I love to connect to the Lord is through music. In college I learned how to play the guitar, and I have binders full of worship music and old hymns that I’ve collected over the years. From time to time I’ll get out the guitar and sing songs to the Lord. Truth be told, I don’t have the greatest voice and you’ll never see me singing on stage Sunday mornings, but when I’m all alone and singing my heart out to God something special happens.

There have been many moments in my life when I needed to connect with God, but my standard, spiritual disciplines weren’t working. Reading scripture didn’t seem to penetrate my soul or transform my mind. Prayer seemed empty, and I was at a loss for words to say. I was going through the motions with no real change happening inside. But then I would pick up my guitar and start to sing songs unto the Lord. Songs filled with scripture and prayers from others who have gone before us.  Slowly, at times two to three songs into it, the breakthrough would happen. Tears would flow and peace would come. I’d connect with God in ways that words couldn’t explain.

So, today I thought it might be special to write some of the lyrics that have deepened my relationship with the Lord. Here are a few songs that have broken through my heart and connected me to my Savior in deeper ways than I could have ever imagined. I hope and pray as you read them something special happens. You probably know some the songs…feel free to sing along and worship the Lord with me.

Create In Me a Clean Heart (Ps 51:10-12)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, O Lord.
Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy Salvation.
And renew a right spirit within me.

Turn Your Eyes
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Lord You Are
Lord, you are more precious than silver.
Lord, you are more costly than gold.
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds.
And nothing I desire compares to you.

I Love You Lord
I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice.
To worship you, oh my soul rejoice.
Take joy my King, in what you hear.
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
To Your ear.

My next verse is a song I learned years ago and is taken right from scripture. I will be singing my memory verse this time around. :-)

He hath shown thee, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee. But to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with Thy God. Micah 6:8