Love Letter

The part of today's reading that stuck out to me was this letter written in Acts 15:23-29. I encourage you to read it (and even from verse 1 so that you can see why it was written). Christians did not make it easy for people who were new to the faith and came from a different culture. They preached a practice that there was much controversy over, causing people to question Christianity and feel offended. How true this still is today! 

This letter is a great example of how a mistake was recognized, and efforts were made to rectify things. It ties in very nicely with 1 Corinthians 3:2: I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. This analogy is so important to consider when we are talking to others. Feeding someone solid food when they are not ready will cause them to choke. We need to consider who we are interacting with before we talk, and what we are saying.

How quick we can be to push our views on others when we should be practicing love above all else. There are foundational principles that we should not waiver on, but we must consider the thought that we might be giving people more than they can handle or are equipped to handle at this time. I hope we can go forward and meet people where they are at, not expecting them to conform to the same level of spirituality that we are at. Mentoring, encouraging, and relationship building are key. It took Christ years to build a relationship with the disciples so that he could reach them, so we have a long road ahead!

I'm not sure if there's someone you may have spoken to in a way that was too much for them to handle, or if you offended someone, but maybe you could consider writing a letter to them (and following up in person like Paul and Barnabus). If not, I pray that you would have wisdom and love for those you come in contact with, I hope you can discern when to speak, and what to say in a way that will further God's Kingdom, bringing others closer in relationship to you and to Him.