Day 18
Tuesday, March 23
The Way Through Intolerance
There are so many opportunities to make friends and get to know others when you move to a different location, especially if you come from a different cultural background. That moment came for me when my family decided to move when I was 12 years old. I made a friend who lived in my neighborhood and he invited me to his birthday party. It was so exciting to think about being at a celebration outside of school with my friends! The next day, my friend said I could not go to his party now... His parents had told him that I was not welcome at their house because I was different, and they did not know how I would act. That was the day I realized the meaning of intolerance and hate, and I never wanted to experience it again.
In the first letter of John, the author speaks to a moment of quarrel and intolerance within the early church. It paints the illustration of how we should and should not act toward those within our community as brothers and sisters in Christ. [1John2:9-11 ESV] There is a caution for us to not walk around stumbling and hurting others who may be different than we are. More importantly, there is an invitation from God to let love, expressed through acceptance, break our tendencies of selfishness and intolerance. God is calling us today to take inventory of our thoughts and to seeGod’sexample as He welcomes all of us.“7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” [Rom 15:7 ESV]
-Nelson Vazquez
Bible Reading for the Day:
Think and Act:
1. What parts of your past or present do you need to surrender so that you can be more accepting of others and abide in the light of Christ?
2. Looking at Romans 15:7, how can we practically welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us?