One Another #3

Have you ever been extremely annoyed by someone with stricter standards? Some people perfectly fit H. L. Mencken’s definition of Puritanism: “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Those folks go hand-in-hand with people following the Islamic idea, “if everyone around me would quit tempting me, I could be right with God.” They don’t realize that nuns and monks already tried imposition and isolation, and it didn’t work.

God does not say in so many words, “thou shalt not be annoyed with one another,” but He does give us directives for how to think about more conservative brothers and sisters in Christ.

Romans 14:13, Galatians 5:13 – Determine to be a blessing. Face it. The way to help a guy realize that Jesus did not have comb-over is not to ruffle up his hair in public. Let God soften the conscience of your bound brother as he watches you love and serve selflessly.

I Peter 5:5, Romans 12:16 – Be humble. The trick with humility is that when you have it, no one notices.

Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 5:21 – Be willing to be governed by a person with stricter standards that God has put near you. Give them the honor God directs us to show one another and use the time with them to figure out why they hold their standards. (Keep in mind that they have probably encountered all your objections. Try to nail down why they still maintain their position.)

Of all people, we at Mt. Calvary should know that you probably won’t interact with certain people longer than a few years. Instead of using our time complaining or being annoyed, let’s “always seek after that which is good for one another” (I Thessalonians 5:15).