by Daniel Maloy
"CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?"
Rodney King made these words famous during the Los Angeles riots as we tore each other apart. If we are honest, we have all felt this way, “Will we ever get along?
When we look at our country, we are embroiled in arguments and disputes everywhere. We pick sides, and no one wants to cross the line.
A quick look at politics in America with the elections heating up shows how divided we are. If that were the only place we were separated, that would be bad enough, but we see a conflict between churches, families, co-workers, and husbands and wives. We are divided politically, racially, geographically, economically, ideologically, and theologically. There seems to be no hope.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either one falls down, one can help the other up. But pity the one who falls and has no one to help them up.”
We can all agree that two people can do more work than one person alone, but the difficulty comes with trying to agree. We start in agreement on what needs to be done, but… How many times have we started working together, and then a disagreement came up about who was right, and suddenly we are arguing and wasting time, eventually breaking our cooperation? We walk away thinking, “I would have been better myself.”
But are we better alone? It says that two are better than one because we have a good return for our labor. On top of that, it goes even further and says to pity the one who has no one to help them up when they fall. We are to be pitied when we work alone. But why is it so hard to get along and work together?
The Need to Be Right or in Charge
All too often, we start to work together, but then we begin to strive to be in charge, recognized, or correct. The root of this is pride. We are exalting ourselves and our agenda above others. The Bible tells us to humble ourselves and to be a servant to all. That applies to business, church, relationships, and marriages. It also says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Grace is more than unmerited favor; it is His empowering presence. Things fall apart when we become prideful and seek recognition and our desires, but He empowers us when we humble ourselves, love, and serve each other for the greater good. His ways are higher than ours, and He backs them up with His wisdom, power, and resources.
Labels People and Things
The reality is that labels come from man, not from God. Labels are meant to divide and assign man-made value to things. All the denominations in the Church are man-made labels that only serve to divide and categorize us. (We don’t belong to that group.)
We do that racially in our country when we identify as white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, etc. The reality is that we are all from one race, the human race. Those labels divide and categorize. We do the same with political labels and so many other things. Think about dishes. We have regular plates and utensils, then fine dining plates and utensils.
Both perform the same function and have the same worth, but the standard plates and utensils are not good enough for elegant gatherings. How many times do we do that in life with people? God is no respecter of persons, and we should follow the same example. He assigns equal value to all.
Taking Offense
The Bible tells us to forgive one another. When the disciples asked how many times they had to forgive their brother, Jesus said seventy times seven times (490 times), but He was not setting that as a limit but as an illustration. Seven is the number of perfection, so He used the number seven, and 49 is seven times seven.
He was calling us to perfection in forgiveness, infinite forgiveness. Forgiving lets the other person off the hook, but it allows us off the hook and sets us free from the bondage of bitterness, woundedness, and offense. It’s even worse when we take up someone else’s offense or expect someone else to side with us. It builds bitterness and resentment and creates a chasm that cannot be crossed, keeping us isolated and unfruitful.
So, if we know that these are some traps that the devil uses to divide and separate us and make us unfruitful, how do we overcome this? How do we come together?
In my book, Kingdom Shift – It’s Time, the Lord gave me insight into the enemy's strategies and tools, principles to avoid them, and the means to unite us to work together for real kingdom impact. In this book, you will:
Learn to identify and avoid the traps of the enemy that divide us.
Learn how to come together in unity and power.
Learn what’s needed to reap a great harvest of souls.
Learn to build the Kingdom instead of a Kingdom and transform cities.
This book was written for the Church, but the principles and strategies in the book transcend the Church and apply to all areas of life and relationships.
Mark Mathews wrote: “As a thought leader and coach, I am always searching for new ideas, and Daniel Maloy’s KINGDOM SHIFT is one of my go-to books for a new perspective into the current times we are living. KINGDOM SHIFT will walk the reader through a journey of self-discovery and deliver a plan to bring about a World shift to our views of the Church and how the Kingdom of GOD will continue progressing as we reach for a new level of commitment.
Daniel, a gifted writer, teacher, and Pastor, has written a book that puts the Church on notice. “It’s time for the Church to wake up!” Invest in your mind and your spiritual walk.”
To get a copy of the book, go to Amazon.
To find out more about Daniel Maloy, go to www.danielmaloy.com or www.ccwfcf.com.
AUG 8th, 2023 at 6:30 pm MDT
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