Put up with each other graciously

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be gracious, even if others aren’t”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another.” Colossians 3:12-13 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Put up with each other graciously”

One of the things I love about Oak Hill Baptist Church is that we are all so different and yet we get along so well. I have sometimes jokingly compared our church to what I call “The Star Wars Bar”. You may remember the scene from the first Star Wars Movie when Hans Solo and Chewbacca were in an interplanetary bar. It was packed full of odd-looking creatures from across the galaxy. They were all sizes, shapes, and colors. One guy looked like Cyclops with a single eye in the center of his head. Another had five eyes along with tentacles coming from the sides of his head. And on it went. You get the picture. They were all seriously different and yet they all accepted each other, and they all got along well.

Well, that’s us! We’re a strange group, all of us very different in many ways, and yet we love each other and we get along well. A big part of being a gracious person is the ability to accept people as they are, even if they’re different from you.

How do you typically respond to people who look different than you, believe different than you, and behave differently than you? I’m not talking about people who are engaged in blatant and unrepentant sin, I’m just talking about people who see life different than you do and who therefore make different choices and decisions than you do. Can you easily accept the fact that they are different and that’s okay?

There’s an old saying that goes, “Those who dance are thought to be crazy by those who can’t hear the music.” Maybe the reason the other person sees things differently than you do is because they’re dancing to music you can’t even hear. They’re just marching through life to the beat of a different drummer (and maybe they think you’re a little weird because you’re not dancing to their tune).

We’re all different, and most of the time that’s okay. As long as we’re not talking about different in sinful ways, as long as we’re just being our own unique selves but still honoring Jesus, then it’s okay. You can be different from me, I can be different from you, and hopefully we’ll accept each other’s difference and still get along just fine.

Let’s put up with each other and let’s do it graciously.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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