This is a different kind of blog post… Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of perspective to offer – just scripture to share.
I have been praying over and reading these passages lately. They have popped up in conversations and situations, and it hasn’t felt coincidental. In the midst of divided communities and difficult situations, I have struggled with how people treat one another, and, seeking answers, I have gone to the Word.
In case anyone else is struggling with similar issues, I wanted to share a couple passages about how we are supposed to, as believers, treat one another. These are taken from the New International Version.
JAMES 2, verses 1 & 8-9
(1) My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
(8-9) If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
MATTHEW 7, verses 1-5 & 12
(1-5) “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
(12) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
EPHESIANS 4, verses 2-3 & 32
(2-3) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
(32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
What other passages offer meaning to you when you’re struggling with how people treat one another? Or how you’re being treated or how you’re reacting? I’d love to hear your favorite verses on the topic in the comments!
Kate with a Twang 