I am proud of you for following along with our daily devotions. Most of us want to grow spiritually and you’re choosing to put in the effort required. Remember that “grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” Today, we are going to reflect on some of the unhelpful idealism that we bring into the church and our community groups.
I quoted the following on Sunday:
“…if you internally look at the community God has given you with judgment, critique, and cynicism, then you’ve created a fantasy version of community – a unicorn if you will – that’s keeping you from loving the people God has placed you around. If we ever want to experience true community then our unicorns must die.”
Kentucky Church
Lets go back to Philippians 2:1-4:
1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Philippians 2:1-4 (NLT)
Our culture and society guides us into thinking that we know what is best for ourselves. So, when we come into a church and a community group we (unknowingly) think we know what is best for us. Each of us needs to grow in being a good follower. When we choose the way of following our spiritual leaders and trusting God’s providence in placing us into “this church” and “this community group” the unicorns begin to die. We stop pursuing our ideals and trust God’s work among us.
If you feel challenged by following or recoil to an even worse word, “submission”…you’re not alone. You’ve been shaped by an era of radical individualism that has guided us to being our own masters, our own bosses where each one is “doing what is right in their own eyes.”
Read Philippians 2:1-4 out loud again.
Prayer
Write out a prayer that confesses what you really think and feel about these ideas of trusting and submitting to God’s arrangement. Be honest. He can handle it.