Daily Verse: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Imagine if we actually did this…if we treated every person we encounter as if they were a member of our family…with love, respect, dignity, and acceptance. What would the world be like? In short…it would be fantastic. We wouldn’t look first to a person with a skeptical or competitive eye, but rather an accepting and welcoming one. We wouldn’t look to another with lust and filth in our minds, reducing them to an object of desire, but rather with kindness and respect. We wouldn’t make instant, largely incorrect judgments based on skin color, income level, or ethnicity. We would look to build-up and promote another, eager to see them succeed, rather than viewing them as another head to step on, a simple rung on the ladder to success. We would welcome the wisdom of the old and develop the confidence of the young. We would view one another as God intended us to…with absolute purity. Purity is defined as “freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes”. Far too often we allow our encounters with others to be polluted with sin…with lust, anger, hatred, judgment, envy. And this is in direct contradiction to the Creators intended purpose. But you might argue that this is impossible…especially since we are not all related, we don’t have the common bond that comes from being a true brother, father, mother, or sister. True. But we do share one common lineage…we were all created by the one true God…the one Father in heaven. And as such, we are all children of God…we all have the same Father. We won’t be perfect, but we can control how we interact with others…we can curb our words, restrict our actions, and govern our thoughts…all it takes is effort, and a disciplined commitment to the will of our mutual Father in heaven. Seem impossible? Seem like a fairy tale? Give it a run…but don’t go at it alone…welcome God into the equation through faithful prayer. Then watch as he makes it a reality in your life. To God be the glory!