December 7, 2021 7:00 pm
Dewberry Baptist Church split in the 1800s over a chicken leg. Various versions of the story exist, but the account told by a current member was that two men fought over the last drumstick at a church potluck. One man said God wanted him to have it. The other replied God didn’t care, and he really wanted it. The men became so furious that one moved a couple kilometers down the road and started Dewberry Baptist Church #2. Thankfully the churches have settled their differences, and everyone concedes the reason for their split was ridiculous.
Jesus agrees. The night before His death Jesus prayed that His followers would “be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” May they “be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me” (John 17:21–23).
Paul agrees. He urges us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3–4), and these cannot be divided.
We who weep for Christ’s body broken for our sin must not tear apart His body with our anger, gossip, and cliques. Better to let ourselves be wronged than be guilty of the scandal of church division. Give the other guy the chicken leg—and some pie too!
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Hi friends, I'm Mike Whitmer, and I wrote today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. It's entitled, Stay Together. Dewberry Baptist Church split in the 1800s over a chicken leg. Various versions of the story exist, but the account told by a current member was that two men fought over the last drumstick at a church potluck. One man said God wanted him to have it. The other replied God didn't care, and he really wanted it.
The men became so furious that one moved a couple kilometers down the road and started Dewberry Baptist Church number two. Thankfully, the churches have settled their differences, and everyone concedes the reason for their split was ridiculous. Jesus agrees.
The night before his death, Jesus prayed for his followers. May they be one Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that you sent me. Paul agrees. He urges us in the book of Ephesians to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, and these cannot be divided. We who weep for Christ's body broken for our sin must not tear apart his body, the church, with our anger, gossip, and clicks. Better to let ourselves be wronged than be guilty of the scandal of church division.
Give the other guy the chicken leg and some pie, too. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1 through 6. As a prisoner for the Lord then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we love your bride, the church. Fill our hearts to love her even more. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-07-12 05:57:32 / 2023-07-12 05:58:55 / 1
