It’s easy to let differences keep us apart. We have a human tendency to dwell on the things we dislike about others. But God has called us to battle our fleshly tendencies. He wants His people to be united, and beyond that, to be the uniters - the people who do the hard work of building unity among God’s people.
God’s people are those who have turned away from their sins and trusted in God to forgive their sins because of Jesus’s payment on the cross. People who have done this are a family. We share a special, supernatural bond. This is God’s design. However, life happens. People hurt people, intentionally or accidentally. Life gets busy. People are different, and it’s easier to connect with people who are like you. But God calls His people to be united, despite our differences.
It takes diligent work to truly build a deep, meaningful, productive friendship - the kind you turn to for help when you’re hurting – with people who will point you to the Lord. God wants His people to both develop these types of friendships and to be leaders in helping others do this. Let’s determine to “make every effort” in making this happen – to put in the work. We do this by making time. We do this by overlooking offenses (Proverbs 19:11). We do this by accepting people who are different and showing them love. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Let’s be leaders in building up the body of Christ. What a high honor.