Experiencing God's Presence #352

The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

1 Corinthians 6:17

There are difficult people in your life. If they aren’t visible right now, they are in the background somewhere. Sooner or later, everyone experiences the frustrations of conflict, even if it’s just minor friction. We live in a world where people don’t always get along. And that doesn’t change when we enter the Kingdom of God.

Even so, anyone who is a believer is one with God’s Spirit. That doesn’t mean we’re always in sync with God’s Spirit or expressing His character, but we are always organically united to Him. And that amazing truth applies not only to us; it applies to those in His Kingdom who happen to rub us the wrong way. Even the difficult, abrasive, or insincere personalities who belong to Him are at one with Him. And we need to treat them accordingly.

Find the Presence of God in others—even those who don’t remind you of His Presence. The Spirit is there somewhere. If you can begin to see Him in people, you’ll begin to see them differently. In place of purely natural opinions about who they are in the flesh, you’ll learn to honor them in the Spirit. You’ll rise above conflict and be able to call out the treasure that God has placed within them, no matter how hidden that treasure seems to be. And instead of deepening divisions—even those that others have created—you’ll help people reach their God-ordained potential and develop a sense of unity. Your perceptions will change. So will theirs. And the Presence of the Lord who is one spirit with all of us will be much more noticeable.

Spirit, unity is important to You. Please help me recognize You in others. Overcome my biases. Open my eyes to the treasure You’ve placed in each of Your people, and show me how to draw it out of them for Your glory.

From the book