February 12 HIS Love, Our Blessing Colossians 3:12-14
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)
Growing up in rural eastern Wayne County during the 1960’s, I was exposed to an amazingly diverse group of people. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base provided an expanded level of diversity into our quiet country life. I recall the day that a mixed-race couple moved into our community. He was an Air Force Sergeant, and she was originally from Okinawa. They met and married when he was stationed in Japan. Curiosity ruled that day! Nothing doing… my dear mother made her way over to their house and invited them for supper at our house that night. I can still hear mama saying, “I know that you don’t have time to cook, so you all come to our house and eat with us tonight!” What mama didn’t realize was that this couple had three children. Yes, they came, and yes, we shared an amazing “Barbara” meal, and we became fast friends! The oldest boy in the family became a “running buddy” with me and I introduced him into our tight knit “running” crowd, and he was accepted into our little band of brothers, even though he didn’t look like us! We saw him for who he was, not what he looked like! Unfortunately, there were a couple of individuals that were not as accommodating as my mama, but they soon learned that they were the “Odd Ones Out,” when it came to this amazing family! Why do I mention this experience? Look around at today’s society! We have become so segmented and divided by race, religion, politics, attitudes and behaviors. Hatred, anger and polarization seems to rule the day! Both of my parents taught me to be accepting of others, their uniqueness, their culture, their different beliefs, and to become friends with them. Friends can share the Good News with another friend! Making friends, not highlighting differences and then attacking the differences is mandatory! My daddy was a firm believer in creating relationships, and once a friendship was established, then he could share the Love of God, through Jesus Christ, with his new friend! The one fact of the matter was, and still is, reality! They taught me to build friendships, relationships, yet never to compromise my foundational beliefs, but to remain true to my calling and to present an example of Love that was worthy of respect and friendship! All those individuals, of my youth, are gone on or have moved away from the neighborhood, but the memories, the lessons of life, the experiences of a lifetime, remain with me forever! Please keep in mind, I have likes, dislikes, prejudices (I do not like cherries, especially chocolate covered cherries), preferences and patterns of behavior, but I truly appreciate the examples that my parents set before me! Acceptance of one’s differences does not mean compromising my beliefs or my standards of behavior! I challenge you to “Love” your Neighbor (that doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them or embrace their politics, but it does mean that you are motivated beyond the temporal and are motivated by the eternal), to demonstrate the Love of God in your life, and to speak, act and behave the way that God has intended for Believers to act! God loves us enough that He sent Jesus to be the Final Blood Sacrifice for our Sins, and He has come to restore our relationship with the Father! Live His Love, and do not allow Satan to dilute, distort or destroy the Divine Example of Grace and Love – JESUS CHRIST! Stay Strong, Stay Focused! REPENT!! THE BEST IS YET TO BE!