Thoughts from johnmark

On another page I record that the spirit of The Foursquare Church is loving unity. Sometimes things rise up that can upset or disrupt that unity. In Ephesians 4 Paul beseeches us walk worthy of our calling.... endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This can be hard especially when others appear to believe different things, maybe interpreting the scriptures in alternative ways. Simply staying silent doesn't appear to be an option where error seems to be creeping in, silence seems to make you complicit - but humility is essential - I am the first to admit that I have in the past been completely wrong about a matter. Yet we often reach the point where

My heart was hot within me;

While I was musing, the fire burned.

Then I spoke with my tongue: (Ps 39:3)

and sometimes for the wrong reasons.

Well in this matter, when I had quieted myself down enough to listen...

If your eye contains a tiny piece of grit it feels like it is a rock but rather than rubbing your eye and risking greater damage, the best technique is to simply close your eye and let the natural tears gently force the grit out.

Still my soul cries out for the need to take decisive, positive action, to warn others before they also get grit thier eyes. We need to do something now, it's not just about a tiny bit of grit it's how it affects everything else we do...

and then the realisation that God is able to change the situation at the drop of a hat - or rather

an single drop of balm from an eye dropper can simply wash away everything in an instant and the irritation is gone.

So why don't you do it Lord? Now? Well I can't see my own eye. Rather we need to get to the position of 'Lord, I think I've got something in my eye - will you take a look please and help me?'

I can imagine the great Physician gently looking at my eye, deciding whether to simply wait a while, to add a drop of balm, to wipe with a tissue, He can see the whole picture and what needs to be done. We have to trust and ask and avoid rubbing the irritant and causing damage. We can trust Him, even when it hurts and we are eager for changes to be made.

..and who knows He might say 'Yes I can see the tiny piece of grit, we can do something about that....and also about the few planks also floating around in there.

In the Ephesians 4 passage it seems that although we have the unity of the spirit - it is given and we should put effort into keeping it - we all need to work at keeping it - it will take a little longer until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.

A good teacher doesn't try to teach everything at once. May we all learn God's timing and listen to the great Teacher and those He calls to teach and every day so that we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.