Key Bible Verse: Be … full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds (1 Peter 3:8). Bonus Reading: Colossians 2:1-2a; 3:14b-15a

Dave swung open the side door of his van. The passenger seat was out because he'd been working on the engine, accessible only from the inside. So the pastor had to sit on the carpet amid the crushed beer cans. I laughed nervously as I helped with his luggage. As they drove off, I envisioned the two enduring the worst night of their lives.

The next morning the host families one by one dropped off the pastors at the church until all were present except—you guessed it—Dave and the conservative little pastor. Just as the meeting was to start, Dave's van came roaring into the parking lot. Through the glare of the windshield I could see the faces of Dave and the pastor—laughing uproariously! As they got out of the van, they exchanged addresses like two kids who'd become best friends at summer camp.

I remember feeling embarrassed about my fear the night before. I'd sold both men short. Wondering at the power of the Holy Spirit to create a near-miraculous bond of love between the least likely people, I realized I'd sold God short too.

—Ben Patterson in He Has Made Me Glad

My Response: How could I interact with a believer who is unlike me?

Thought to Apply: As we draw nearer to Christ, we shall be drawn nearer to His people; and in our search for unity with the members we shall be drawn closer to the Head.—G.T. Manley (British theologian)

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Teach us, Lord, how to create bonds of cooperation and fellowship that invite others instead of erecting walls of self-preservation and competition that repel.

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