Friday, 5 September 2003

Day 19 of the Purpose-Driven Life discusses an aspect of the Second Purpose for our Lives: Fellowship.  James 3:18: "You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."

I pray that through 40 Days of Purpose, we will better understand the Church as Family, and see God's image in the personality and gifts of other members.

Rick Warren points out that while the Holy Spirit creates real fellowship among us, he cultivates it with the choices and commitments we make. Love which is required for a real community is a skill we become progressively better at through practice.

Lord, work in us to create a priority of attention to know each other, and extend our attention into loving concern for other members of the church family.

One characteristic required for true community in the Family is honesty. For this to become a practiced value, we each must create a comfortable, accepting attitude toward others. As we focus on accepting and understanding others, our tendency or need to judge will fall out of focus.

Lord, I pray you will work to make me like Jesus, so people will see you in me, and feel safe and comfortable with me, so you can reach to them through me.

Lord, I pray you will work to enable me to see Jesus in members of my church family, so I can see you in their differences from me, and feel safe and comfortable with them, so you can reach to me through them.

Lord, make us who you Purpose us to be. You have planned for us to be like Jesus. Let us focus on him, and see your image in others. May we be your Family.

Lord, take us and make us. We are yours. We give ourselves to each other for Jesus' sake.

May it be so!

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Meditation 4

Purpose 2: Fellowship. "We are Formed for God's Family"