Verse of the Day 7/10

Verse of the Day 7/10

1 Corinthians 1:10-11

New Living Translation

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters.

Our family has been on vacation for the last week and that is the reason for the lapse in these posts.

We were with our kids and grandkids for a week and by and large, there were very few hick ups, we all got along and enjoyed the time together "building memories".  Reading today's passage in a devotional this morning brought to mind just how rare this is.  Political leaders are divided along party lines and seem to have no sense of unity for the common good.  Divisions even arise within the political parties.

Lest we look to closely at them, the same thing can happen in churches.  Some churches have divided over such insignificant "issues" as deciding on what color of carpet would be best for the sanctuary, red or blue?  I served on a church board that had agreed to come to a consensus as a group before bringing matters up to the congregation.  It led to some extended board meetings but I guess it is a small price to pay for unity.

The same attitude and practice can be applied to family members and beyond.  There may be times when we cannot come to an agreement, but we should be able to agree to disagree without tearing apart groups, friendships, churches or families.

As Christians through prayer and applying God's Word we should be able to be "united in thought and purpose" in how we live our lives and interact with others, especially within the household of faith.

Blessings, 

Mike 

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,

in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

1 Corinthians 1:10-17
English Standard Version
Divisions in the Church
10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.