The Day with Others

So, I'm taking a little time today to study for the 12:3 Conspiracy. We are in week eight of the studies and I'm looking forward to teaching Romans 12:9 on Sunday. I thought it was cool that the 12:3 Conspiracy was starting Romans 12:9 (Let love be genuine...) on the same day we are starting our introduction to the 40 Days of Love at LHC. Anyway, I'm reflecting on something that I haven't done in a while and wanted to share it with you.

In his brilliant little book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a chapter entitled, The Day with Others that talks about starting your day in reflection of Christ's sacrifice and readings in Scripture, especially the psalms. Then, Bonhoeffer tells us how to end our day in the fellowship of others. Bonhoeffer writes, "The early morning belongs to Christ...the break of light remembers the morning on which death and sin lay prostrate in defeat and new life and salvation were given to mankind." This is how we should start every morning if we are to take on the task of spending the day with others.

Spending the day with others, huh, I've never thought of it that way. Most of our lives are lived in routine. We are around the same people, almost everyday. The same people at work, church, the gym, Starbucks, and most routinely, our families. Do we genuinely think of the "routines" as "others?" I think there is a way to start. It's called practicing the one anothers.

Practicing the "one anothers" from Scripture starts by knowing what they are. Here's a list:

John 13:34
Love one another

Rom. 12:10
Be devoted to one another

Rom. 12:16
Live in harmony with one another

Rom. 15:7
Accept one another

Gal. 5:13
Serve one another in love

Eph. 4:2
Put up with one another

Eph. 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another

Col. 3:16
Teach and admonish one another

Heb. 3:13
Encourage one another daily

1 Pet. 4:9
Offer hospitality to one another

Ok, so it's easy. First, memorize the list so you can recall the one's you need at any given circumstance. However, while you're memorizing them, you could practice at least one a day. Let's say you choose "devoted to one another." What does the word "devoted" mean? According to Webster's it means: to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc. When's the last time you spent time with others like that?

It would be cool to get some comments on this blog and to hear how this "practice of the one anothers" is going for you. Any ideas of how you are doing this? Any stories that could encourage someone else? Let me hear from you.