“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
Romans 15:7 NIV
I am amazed that the counsel of men is often the exact opposite of what God would have us to do. I hear people in positions of influence spout words of division, words of anger and prejudice. I wonder where is the acceptance of people for who they are?
The Word clearly tells us to accept one another. You cannot accept someone unless there is some compassion for that person, some realization of who they are and their life’s story.
We find it easier to judge than to offer grace, easier to separate than to accept one another. Acceptance is just a stop on our way to loving our neighbor and being in the will of God.
Different is not a mandate for division or loss of compassion, but an opportunity to expand our God given community to include those we often exclude or discount. God wants us to be in unity as his people not separated by man made differences that have no real standing in the kingdom.