Tonight's blog for April 27, 2013 

Two obvious questions from our text for tomorrow are stuck in my head. As I write this blog, I am glad to "empty
out" those questions and know that they won't be answered by simple "yes or no" responses, but will be taking the rest of our time on the earth to learn and to live. What are the questions? Question # 1 is  "Why does John mention Brothers and Sisters who are Christians as those who can't get along?" Question #2 "Is loving even a possibility? Isn't conflict a part of every Church?" Great questions. The answer might surprise you. 

Today was a memorial day for a dear sister, who was one of the least "conflicted" Christians I know. She never had a harsh or a "toxic" word for anyone … to use a word from our recent small group material called "detox"! Maybe others remembered her differently, but in the short time that we were serving GOD together, there wasn't a sweeter, more supportive Christian in all the rest of my time serving Christ. 

Surely as we grow in Christ, we will all learn to get along, to be more and more able to learn to defer to the likes and dislikes of each other in Christ? Right? NO! The more my children grew in years, the more difficult the trips in the car got. The last spanking one of my children received may have been a "turf and elbow" issue on a trip. Remember those? "He is leaning on me" … "She is humming" … etc. Really what they were saying was this, "He crossed over into my 'turf' and "She is touching me with her elbow." Those became gigantic issues after 20 plus hours in a car that was too small, with a dad who prided himself on singing to every song on the radio, and on a mom who just wanted to be a peacemaker! 

In 1 John 2:3-17, we find a warning for Christians who think we should all be at an equal level of maturity and should somehow be able to have identical expressions of worship styles and needs. It can't happen! Frankly, we should see that it is o.k. to celebrate our differences. When we do, we learn to celebrate our conflict moments as well. Only in Christ can we find ways to see the best in each other. Only in Christ can we see the model for this sort of behavior, as a positive part of HIS work in our lives! Yes, I said celebrate conflict and difficulties because they prove that we are growing and becoming more like the Apostles, if not Jesus. 

Luke 22: 17-24 reveals that the LORD instituted the meal we call the "Last Supper" and discussed His Death. He told us to continue the meal, "in remembrance of Him", and then left the upper room, right? NO… there was a dispute over who was the greatest. After the meal. Amazing! These issues that Jesus brought up were "turf and elbow" issues too. I guess that I am seeing that there will never be times without some of those issues, moments of apparent conflict and disagreement. When I was a child, dad would say, "you kids, stop fighting back there." The biggest threat was, "Don't make me come back there." To which I would respond today, "Dad, I wish you were here to 'come on back.' " Maybe that is why we miss Jesus so much, and pray for HIM to come back? "Turf and Elbow" issues pale in comparison when we remember that they will end with another phrase that many of us want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" 

Anyway, more on that later! God bless us and come back soon! We are suffering from the "Maranatha Homesick Blues." Come quickly, LORD.  big marv