Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT), "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other making allowance for each others’ faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."

In Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus he paints a beautiful picture of the way we, as Christians, should interact with all people, but specifically with other Christians. This image is one of calm, of complete peace and safety, and of love despite all of our human faults. As awesome as this picture is, I am not sure that we can call it a reality. The body of Christ is separated now into many different denominations that are fighting with each other. Brothers and sisters in Christ breaking fellowship over small matters of preference or insignificant differences in doctrine. In our own individual church as well: who hasn't been impatient, prideful, and/or unloving with a fellow believer before?

God calls each of us to love one another as siblings in Christ, to be so concerned and in love with each other that we want to overlook their faults, to be so bound in peace that we are satisfied merely by being around each other.

When I read this passage (Ephesians 4: 2-3) I get a picture in my head of the people of my church sitting down to dinner in a long, warmly lit room with a high ceiling, big wooden doors, and a cross at the front. I can see everyone chatting, smiling, laughing and just basking in each other’s company while giving last minute hugs to the people nearest to them before the meal begins. I can also hear soft worship music in the background, and I can almost feel the serenity of feeling safe just because I was sitting in this room with them. I imagine feeling perfectly content because I am sitting there, with the body of Christ with my hundreds of moms, hundreds of dads, and thousands of sisters and brothers in Christ. And this image has become my prayer.

Discuss in the comment section below

In what ways can we, as youth in the body of Christ, help to grow closer to what God intended for our relationships with other Christians to be?

 For further reading: See Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3:12-16