What’s going on? Why do we make choices and act so differently from one another? Can’t we all agree and get together? There’s a “together,” another “together” we have to think about first, because it affects everything else.

Christians have been given the eternal life of Jesus Christ and been put into Him (John 3:14-16). They, we, are all together there. Naturally, none of us will ever be viewed or treated by God as separate from Him, let alone each other! He did the giving and the putting! (See Romans 8:35-39.) In Him, all of us have all things already (Ephesians 1:3-14), and God provides the grace and power by His Spirit to His body (that’s us) for His purpose and glory. Let’s agree on that. We are together. We are in unity there, because of our union with Christ. He did it! He was successful.

And that’s why we look, choose and act so differently from one another. From that beginning, we’re gifted and motivated by God according to His perfect design of His perfect body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We’re all good! We’re together at the same starting place. Heaven isn’t so much our finish line as it is our starting point (Ephesians 2:6-7). We’re from the same place, having the same God-given DNA. But like a single, beautiful, heavenly fireworks explosion, we won’t do the same from that place.

We’re not supposed to. The best we can do for each other is not gripe and grumble at each other and try to change each other’s trajectory, but to remind each other of our shared starting point. In other words, to build each other up in Christ, where we are together, so that the Spirit’s influence may be our primary influence. That’s where our health is—with Him. We’re all suffering from worldliness—some of us more than others—so let’s apply the gospel of God’s truth and grace to each other’s wounds. That’s how we help each other. We don’t tell each other to “Heal yourself! Get better!” We serve the truth of God’s grace—what He did and where we are, in Him—to each other. That’s what saves us every day.

Let’s remember and remind each other about the grace of God that starts and continues the work of God in us. In Him, we’re together and safe—we’ve simply got some different things to do.

See you later.