The truth is, we sometimes mistreat others. We separate ourselves from a brother or sister; we wound and hurt someone; we can easily misrepresent others. And we think it is “just between God and me.” So we confess it to the Lord and repent, then go our way, thinking all is well. Yet, we never give thought to how in the process, we’ve not only wounded a brother, we have wounded the Lord. Indeed, we did it to the whole Body of Christ, because if one hurts, all hurt.

Here is the revelation we are given: “I belong to the Body of Christ! And so does my brother, my sister. We are all one because we are all connected to the head.”

I present to you the same message Paul delivered to his fellow workers.

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3–4).

“I beseech [you] . . . be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2).

Here is how Paul sums it all up. Indeed, here is mercy lived out in full:

“Because ye [are] dear unto us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

I ask you: Are all your brothers and sisters in Christ dear to you? As the life of our head flows to us, the members of His Body, we begin to love not only each other but even our enemies.

“Lord, let us be merciful, as You have been merciful to us!"

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon