APRIL 7, 2014
Strawberry
Mess
Read: Philippians 4:1-5
Be of the same mind in the Lord. —Philippians 4:2
My
husband and I had recently moved into our house when a man dropped off a large
box of strawberries on our front sidewalk. He left a note saying he wanted us
to share them with our neighbors. He meant well, but some children discovered
the box before any adults did and had a strawberry-throwing party at our white
house. When we returned home, we saw children we knew watching us from behind a
fence. They had “returned to the scene of the crime” to see how we would react
to the mess. We could have just cleaned it up ourselves, but to restore our
relationship, we felt it was important to talk with them and require their help
in cleaning our strawberry-stained house.
Life
can get messy with relationship struggles. This was the case in the Philippian
church. Two faithful servants, Euodia and Syntyche, were in sharp disagreement.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church to encourage them to work through their problems
(Phil. 4:2). He also wanted another person to come alongside them with a spirit
of gentleness. He wrote, “I urge you also, true companion, help these women who
labored with me in the gospel” (v.3).
Realizing
we’ve all made messes in life, we can trust the Lord to help us deal gently
with others.
Dear
Lord, please give me discernment and
courage
in my relationships. Help me by Your
power to
be gentle and show the same love
to
others that You have shown to me.
True
love both confronts and restores.
Insight
As
Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi comes to an end, he provides his
readers with a number of imperatives: “stand fast in the Lord” (v.1); “be of
the same mind” (v.2); “help [those] who labored with me in the gospel” (v.3);
“rejoice in the Lord always” (v.4); and “let your gentleness be known to all
men” (v.5). Notice the varied kinds of imperatives given. Because unity,
support, rejoicing, and gentleness are needed depending upon the situation,
sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading helps us to tap into God’s resources so
that we can respond appropriately to each circumstance.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
