I wonder what marriages would be if both husbands and wives considered it a goal to outdo one another in consideration. What if there was a little friendly competition between you and your spouse on who could be the kindest, friendliest, forgiving, and most considerate? I would imagine your marriage would be more stable, your husbands would be faithful, and your wives would be more loving. It seems that it would be a match made in heaven, right?
I would imagine families would be stronger, safer, and more steadfast if each member of the family thought every day of ways to be helpful, compassionate, friendly, and considerate. What if sons and daughters worked to figure out ways to help moms and dads? What if dads made sure to not only provide physical needs but looked for ways to provide spiritual needs of their familes? What if moms not only held their children close to their hearts but embraced them near to the heart of God? It seems that would make them more like the family of God, right?
I imagine this would impact the local church in a way that would make it a place where people would want to settle and, within it, find spiritual peace, prosperity, and power. The church would become a place of refuge and a people of redemption. The church would not just merely survive but thrive until the return of the Lord. The church would be strong and stand firm against the wiles of the devil. It seems that would make them more like the community of Christ, right?
I imagine this would have an impact on our communities, county, and country in a way where the people of God would shine as lights in a dark world. The church would make such an impact on the world around us that we would be known as disciples of Jesus by the love that we have for God, each other, and the lost. We would be devoted to Jesus, committed to each other, and dedicated to bringing in the souls in need of salvation. It seems that would make us more like the people God wants us to be, right?
You see, if you want to impact our country, it begins with you as a husband, wife, son, and daughter. It doesn’t begin with having the right man in the right office of power and prestige. I don’t believe in trickle-down spirituality. I believe in grassroots campaigning, building a movement committed to Christ. It all begins within our marriages, families, and, churches, then communities, counties, and countries. It begins with being considerate!
Make marriage great again!
Make family great again!
Make church great again!
Make community great again!
Make consideration great again!
Read Philippians 2:1-18, and I think you will understand what I’m writing about as the Holy Spirit, through Paul, penned it more eloquently than I can.
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
For the Lord,
Alex