I woke up thinking, "I should only write a little so people will have time to read it." "I should pick one word and focus on that." "I should take a picture to illustrate each step."
Basically what I was saying - really - was, "I should write this for other people." "I should come at I Corinthians for what I can tell others they should learn." YUK!
So Lord, here I am. An empty chalkboard with just a couple of words barely outlined.
(NOTE: I'm reading WONDER STRUCK by Margaret Feinburg. I don't like to recommend books unless I've finished it, but I can highly recommend chapters .001 - .004)
I have no idea what I Cor 1:10 says. Time to find out.
I Cor 1: 10 0Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
I'm giggling in a mother sort of way. When I look these verses up, I use both my Bible and my computer. Most of the verses frustrate me because all the translations are so close that I end up wanting more.... more variety, more depth, more angles. (Funny/ironic how differences can give you a clearer picture of something.)
I'm giggling because THIS verse gave me LOTS of variety ---- and (snarf) the verse is about unity but the translations were not quite unified! They varied to: thinking the same way, having one mind, agreeing with, speaking the same thing, being in harmony. They look the same, but within the whole verse and their own verbage were undertones of varying opinions.
And then the playing out of those terms was slightly different between the translations: one mind and judgment, thought and purpose, same mind and purpose, perfected in one mind and in one conscience, united in understanding and opinions, joined together in the same understanding and in the same perception. (Did you catch how some of these definitions started to slide out of the actual "working it out" side of unity?) They say basically the same thing, but tiny nuances become springboards for great debates when you try to define unity.
Is it possible to have everyone think the same thing? How can Paul ask for that? What I see of the church is pretty messy, honestly.
Let me side track: Four days ago my hands were deep in grout and the phone rang. Yeah, you get the picture.
Rich had just been approached with an opportunity to transfer to another position at work. He put in for a transfer more than once over the past 3 years but timing is everything. However, THIS timing was crazy! Rich is a teacher. Until yesterday, he was a music specialist who taught all 500+ kids in the school. Now, suddenly, he's a third grade classroom teacher. BAM! Not the usual preparation time you'd like to get. No lunch totes, no fun charts on the walls, not even any scotch tape to put the new kid's name on his desk. But yesterday, my husband walked in the door and said, "I had the best day!" I smiled, kissed him and affirmed this new definition with, "Yay! You haven't said that in several years." We both realized how profound that was. Honestly, I feel like I got my husband back!
But for a very short time four days ago, all the pieces were in place but it was muddy. It seemed pretty messy. As we talked on the phone, we had to start wiping off the layers gently to see what it was supposed to be. We laid out the pros and cons for us and for the students, but especially for Rich himself. Transferring to classroom was something we knew would be healthy, but staying in the same building where Rich had built up an amazing program wouldn't make sense to a lot of kids .... and parents.
As we wiped away the issues, it began to get clear. But it was still a bit hazy. In the end, it boiled down to this. Before the year started, Rich was so tired going in! He felt deflated. There was none of that bursting energy, new year, fresh start stuff. (Not a good way to start the year.) So he asked the Lord, "If you're not shifting me out of this job, then would you tell me why I'm there." (We had assumed getting back into the classroom would mean going to a different school.) He got the word "UNITY" and it gave him enough purpose to decide to be dedicated and enthusiastic.
Just that little bit of waiting with God cleared things up.
It won't be perfect, but all the pieces are in place. It will need some finishing touches and then upkeep, but it's all there. (both the tile and the job.)
We had these tiles for several years and are just now getting them in place. Same with Rich's decision to shift out of music at school.
AND THE KEY WORD to the unity Paul asked for in verse 10 hinges on one word!.... "NOW"
TIMING IS EVERYTHING!
But that "now" is about more than timing. It's also like a "therefore". Everything I need to know about unity hinges on verses 1-9. What Paul set up in those verses IS what we agree on.
It's Jesus. Jesus the giver of grace. Jesus the giver of every good gift including SETUP: our speech and our knowledge.
Yeah, so when he tells them to speak (v10) the same thing, he's saying our speech (v5) comes from a platform of grace. (They were set up!) (hmmm... most translations say you have to speak the same thing to be in agreement... it's not enough just to think quietly. We have to talk... and we have to say the same thing.)
When tells them to be of the same mind (v10), our knowledge (v5) comes from the gift of Christ.
Seriously, are you seeing what I'm seeing? This divine set up? This foundational provision from God to enable us to do what He's asking for?
When Paul says, "don't let there be any divisions among you" he has set them up to see that Jesus is the one who presents us blameless (v8), instead of blame throwing.
vs. 9 is a setup! "God, who has called you into FELLOWSHIP WITH WITH WITH his son JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD is faithful."
Let me repeat that set up, highlighting the framework I can suddenly see! WIPE.....
"God, who has called you into fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."
And again......... wipe!
"God, who has called you into fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."
God is faithful.... so if he asks us for unity, it must be possible!
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