Wednesday; September 30

While I grew up in the democratic republic known as the United States, I was raised in the monarchy known as the Wharton household. I will be the first to admit that I had a happy, healthy upbringing; but that is not to be confused with the fact that my parents had rules and expected us to follow them. When we were told to do something, we might object, but the bottom line was clear and was often punctuated by the edict, “I am not asking you to do this, I am telling you to do it.”.

The reason I raise this point is that our concept of democracy has a tendency to influence our response to aspects of our lives that are not a democracy. Take for example, the Lord’s church. Having grown up in the United States, we might feel comfortable in wanting to have a say in what the Lord wants done in His church, but the bottom line is that this is His church, run by His rules ... and this is never more obvious than when He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34). It isn’t a suggestion, it isn’t a hope, it is a command!

We live in a time when people are struggling to agree on things in a peaceful (much less pleasant) way. While we may not be able to do much with the way people in the world get along, Christians have responsibility to love one another – period! The next time we find ourselves deciding if we are going to “love” our neighbor or our enemy, let’s remember Jesus’ command and my parents admonition – “I am not asking you do to it, I am telling you do it.”

Think About It!

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