An alternative to the nipping and yipping so common in our culture
By Dean Collins
None of us were sure what would happen next. We were dreading a big fight with lots of biting and scratching where someone would get hurt.
Let me explain. My brother and I were guests in his daughter’s home recently. My brother travels with his very small dog. My niece and her husband prefer cats and they have two of them, very young and very large. Even before we got to the house, everyone was nervous about what would happen when they got together.
The dog did not bark when he entered the room. He just walked around sniffing this new territory. The cats stood about halfway down the stairs that lead up to the bedrooms. Their backs curled and the hair on their necks and backs stood up as they continued to eye the dog. The four humans in the room watched nervously as this fearful standoff continued off and on for more than an hour.
We never knew what triggered what, but suddenly yipping and jumping, nipping and scratching all commenced at once. The three animals ended up in the arms of humans. We all retreated to our separate quarters, and no one was devoured, though it appeared for a minute that the end result could have been a really bad outcome for at least one of the pets and maybe a human or two as well.
Love, don’t devour
Today’s text, which speaks of biting and devouring, reminded me of the story. The apostle Paul in more than one of his letters spoke of freedom in Christ. Jesus himself said he came to set us free: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
In Galatians 5, Paul confirmed that we are, in fact, called to freedom in Christ but that our freedom should not be used simply to do whatever we want, pleasing ourselves, but instead we are free to love and serve one another. Paul quoted Scripture from the Old Testament that is repeated in the New Testament, a good indication that this core truth is central to God’s character and is his plan for how we are to behave: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Then Paul gave this warning: “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” In recent months it sure seems like we are on a rapid trajectory toward Paul’s prediction. I’ve noticed that in nearly every conversation, both with those I know as well as strangers in line somewhere, people are nervous about the tone of our culture. It is maddening to turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or look at social media, because within minutes you will confront an item about someone who has offended someone or disagrees with someone because they see the world differently. The issue ignites a lot of biting and devouring in social media and in day-to-day life.
The sad part is that we are either beginning to enjoy the negative tone or it has become so common we don’t realize how far we have slipped from the clear message of Scripture that instructs us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This love is to flow naturally from first loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
In the Spirit, not the flesh
Paul’s warning is that if we don't love as Jesus loved, the biting and devouring will lead to us being consumed by one another. Paul continued a few verses later with a simple description of the fruit of the Spirit. These are not hard words to understand: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. None of these attitudes spur actions against the law, but some behave as if they are suddenly too hard to practice. Maybe this is because we are too focused on fighting those with whom we disagree.
Our angry divisiveness is rooted in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Maybe we should consider taking one trait or characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit and focus on it for a day or even a week at a time. What would happen if we detached from participating in the anger and replaced our attitude and actions with prayerfully demonstrating at least one dimension of the fruit of the Spirit to those around us?
Love is a good starting place and foundation. I suspect as we focus on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we will discover we are more content, better listeners, and better friends. I’m guessing little by little others will begin to notice the Jesus within us.
Your time with God’s Word
Galatians 5:13-15; 22-26 ESV
Photo by Andrew Umansky at unsplash.com
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