ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 2, 2025
In 1st Thessalonians 5:14, we read:
And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.
Many of us are good at recognizing the problems in someone else’s life, and we feel pretty confident that we have the solution to those problems. As I often say, “I can live other people’s lives much better than I can live my own.” The Apostle Paul was not inviting his readers to live other people’s lives. He expected them to live as a community—in Christ-like community. We are to walk alongside others as they do the same with us and for us. In doing so, we’ll probably see a number of things in others that need some work, but above the need to see other people change, we might want to be open to what others might be seeing in us. What does it mean to live in community and to trust that others in the community have your best interests in mind?
Grant me a heart of grace, O God, so I can truly be open to what others might suggest. There are a few things about my life that could use some work. Amen.
