MUST YOU BE SO CONTRARY? -- Devotional for June 28, from "Good Seeds"

Be of the same mind toward one another. (Romans 12:16;15:5)

Dr. J. Vernon McGee used to say there are only two kinds of people in the world: the saints and the ain’ts. According to Jesus he’s right, though our Lord preferred to call them the sheep and the goats. What we’re talking about here is the most important question every human being must answer regarding his eternal destiny: will I trust myself or trust my Maker to get me out of this world and into the next, from earth to heaven? But there is another “two kinds of people” classification which, although not as eternal life threatening, still makes a big difference on the quality of life lived here on earth: The agreeable and the contrary. The apostle Paul seemed to be quite aware of these two groups, both of which were alive and well within the body of believers. Otherwise, why would he go to all the trouble of pleading with the Roman Christians to “live in harmony with one another” (12:16)? And why would he pray so fervently that God would “grant them a spirit of unity amongst themselves” (15:5). Have you ever been in conversation with a friend who, no matter what you say, seems to be compelled to correct you on your facts, or feels obligated to straighten out your doctrine or improve your attitude? If you say the sky is blue, you hear, “No it isn’t! Can’t you see? It’s blue gray.” If you mention that the next town is five miles down the road – “No way, it’s at least ten!” is what you hear. “What difference does it make?” you are thinking. And there’s something else you’re thinking: “Why does everything have to turn into an argument or a competition?” – and you can’t wait to vacate the present company and find someone from that other group, someone a little more agreeable. It’s not that we must agree with evil or false information – there certainly are times to say, “In all fairness, and with all kindness, I beg to differ.” But there are far more times when it is so much better to just let it go, for the sake of harmony and unity – and friendship. Harmony doesn’t mean two entities are exactly alike. In fact, for there to be harmony in music there must be two or more different sounds – otherwise, you merely have unison, which can be redundant at best, boring at worst. In Christian fellowship, unison is not the goal, but rather unity. To be of the same mind doesn’t mean we all look or sound the same. Unity and harmony bring far greater delight and beauty than the drone of sameness. To “be of the same mind” DOES NOT mean we are identical twins, or that we look for the ideal Christian and attempt to clone him. But it DOES mean we work hard not to disagree when it is not necessary to do so. If you see it differently, and say so, let the result be the variety of beautiful harmony, not the contrariness of discordant dissonance.