As I think about Time for a Change, I cannot help but think about the present global climate of discrimination we are facing. This was not the focus in my book Fight For Your Destiny: Breaking Free For Your Breakthrough, but it definitely is a destiny that all of us should fight for at this time. What is noteworthy is the fact that the Apostle Paul fought for the elimination of segregation and discrimination in the body of Christ in his day.
As we all might know Paul was assigned to minister to the Gentiles, kings and Israelites (Acts 9:15-16), whereas Peter was sent to the Jews (Galatians 2:7), but Paul recognized Peter’s hypocrisy in that he would privately associate with the Gentiles but among the Jews he would separate himself from them (Galatians 2:12). Paul was so upset with Peter’s duplicitous behavior that he confronted him to the face (Galatians 2:11)
I like the fact that Paul was bold enough not only to confront Peter to the face but also in the presence of all concerned (Galatians 2:14), sending a clear message of his intolerance of such practice.
Do you see that happening today? Maybe you do…
For me, I don’t. People are very scared to call wrong, wrong to anyone. Everyone wants to be nice and not ruffle any feathers especially if the erring parties are those of much influence. This could be the reason why we have had discrimination prevalent in our society including the church, because although we may not agree with it, we will not call anyone out all in the name of peace. We prefer to stay silent and observe from the sidelines while the ugliness goes on and on unchecked.
And I agree sometimes it is very difficult to say anything. I recall my husband and I dropping into a fairly large church one Sunday morning. We would have been late for our church so we decided to stop at this church we were passing. As we entered we suddenly felt that we had made the wrong stop, for the speaker stumbled in his speech causing many heads to turn to the back of the church. As we continued to approach to quickly and quietly find a seat they kept looking at us as if to say ‘what in the world are you two doing here?’
It was kind of scary but we didn’t want to turn tail and leave, so smilingly we took the end of the last seat in the middle pew and suffered the uneasiness to the end of the service. At the call to pray at the end of the service we high tailed it out of there before the crowd and we never returned.
This occurred in church but I am quite sure that many of you have experienced this in the church, in the workplace, in the market place and even among your blended families. It is very sad when we discriminate against each other for one reason or the other. We inflict pain and rejection into the hearts of beautiful people unnecessarily
Today if you have difficulties in seeing your fellow mankind who may be different in some way shape or form, you can talk to God about this problem. The bible tells us that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts to love as Jesus loved. John says,
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:7-13).
We have to start somewhere, so why not let us start with our own hearts, our own families, just where we are and witness God transforming lives, systems, forums, organizations and every form of groupings. This is what our God wants. Let it start with me.
Let us PRAY!
Holy Father we come to you in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ our Lord who has loved us unconditionally and has taught us how to love as he loved.
We pray today, at this time that you would cleanse our hearts from all prejudice, hate preferences and indifferences to other people and fill us with your pure love that we too will love each other with your love. Forgive us of our sins and make us new people in Jesus’ name. Amen.
We must remember that Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophet” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Can we love as Christ loves?...
Let’s love as Christ love with his love that there would be harmony among God’s creation.