ConneXus Blog

By Julia Fowler, Worship Arts Pastor

Romans 12:1-21: Key verse 12:5

"…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

"There can be union without unity: tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline."

No offense to you cat lovers of course, but wow what a picture of truth that short but narrative statement implies.  We can be bound together by many things; circumstance, obligation, pressure, coercion, happenstance, etc.  but it's how we choose to work it out when we're throw over the clothesline together that really displays our true character.  

The apostle Paul observed this "cat-tail" type of circumstance happening in the midst of the new believers of Rome.  Romans 1:7 tells us that Paul's book of Roman's was written to address all those in Rome who were the "beloved of God, called to be saints."  He was not writing to the general population at Rome, he was specifically addressing the "Called out ones," the Body of Christ.  And so Paul's address also applies to us today.  We are called to be one as the body of Christ.  In doing so, not only should we work to get along peaceably, but rather we should work purposefully along side one another with a common objective in mind. 

In other words, when we are tied at the tails and hung-over the clothesline of life, it is not the time to think about yourself.  Still many times we resort to cat-fights, baring our claws and protecting what we perceive to be 'our space'.   

Paul's letters were written with the full intention of motivating the listening to make changes in their personal character as it related to these issues: he was convinced that transformation was possible in the lives of God's people and I agree. 

I encourage you to keep reading through Romans chp. 12-15; I Corithians chp. 1 & 2; and Phillipians chp. 2.  We'll be talking more about the areas of personal gifting and our responsibility for stewardship (using those gifts) in the weeks to come.  

For this week, ask yourself the following:

When I'm figuratively 'tied at the tail and thrown over the clothesline' with others, how do I react?

Does it depend on who I'm tied to?

Am I a peacemaker, or am I confrontational?

Do I think of the other person's interests?

Do I think of the other person's interest ahead of my own?

What would motivate me to improve the way I respond or act?

What does God's Word have to say about how we should respond in this type of situation?

Does the Word of God motivate me to want to change?