The brotherhood of man

Not much to report life-wise, so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on Philippians, the book I'm reading through verse-by-verse. This was from back in June when I was on Philippians 1:7.

Partakers of grace with me...

I've never been very comfortable with the word partake. It's one of those that I've more or less figured out the meaning of, but I always feel like I'm not quite getting the whole thing, so I rarely use it for fear it has an alternate meaning or a deeper meaning I know nothing about. But it seems to me that at least a small part of it means to take and share simultaneously. We partake of the elements of communion, which means that we take them for ourselves, but we take them together. Grace, then, is God's power given to us to do what we could not otherwise do; God giving us what we don't deserve; God's unmerited favor.

So if they were partakers of grace with Paul, that would mean that together, they took for themselves that same unearned favor and power of God that Paul was also taking for himself. While Paul needed grace for as many things as we do, probably his biggest concern for the moment was his imprisonment. He does also mention in the verse the defense and confirmation of the gospel. It seems that here, the Philippians needed the same grace for the same reason. Apparently they were very upset at his imprisonment.

There's a kind of bond we can feel with other believers when we realize that we all draw upon the same strength - we are all partakers of grace with each other. Even though we use that grace for different purposes, we share a common dependence upon Christ and His strength and grace.

When I think about it, I guess all people share that, whether they realize it or not. I don't think God's grace is only available to the few who choose to follow Him in a specific way. We're all currently alive, which is continual evidence of God's grace, and non-believers has overcome great obstacles and endured incredible hardships. Who do you think helped them do that? Whether they admit it or not, God has extended His grace to everyone.

So there's something like a brotherhood of man that we exist in, where we share more commonalities than we realize. It's like the watering holes in Africa. All sorts of different animals come to the watering hole (as proved by the Lion King - remember that scene in the Hakuna Matata song? That's what I'm picturing right now). Many come to drink, some come to bathe, others live in there and swim around. But they all share the same water, and because of that they are all connected. Their fates are linked and they are all dependent upon the same water.

When I look at other people in this light, I feel like we have less to fight about than before. Sure, he's an bear and I'm a cheetah. And the girl over there is a bunny rabbit, and that guy is a dingo (this is a non-regional watering hole. All types of animals gather, so don't get out your encyclopedias and show me how impossible it may or may not be to have a cheetah, bear, bunny rabbit and dingo all in the same place. I don't want to hear it). So we're all different. But we all depend on that same water. That water enters us and enables us to be the best creatures we can be. It helps me to run fast. It gives the bear great power. The water enables the dingo to live his wild, untamed life, and it gives the rabbit the ability to outsmart that duck with the lisp and the hunter with the speech impediment.

But it's kind of cool to look at complete strangers and realize that our fates are linked. Regardless of what they say or believe, they rely on the same strength I do to get by every day.

How much do I acknowledge the grace I partake in? Some days it's completely evident to me how great the love of the Father is and how much He sustains and enables me. But if I'm honest, most days I walk around taking pride in my own strength, pretending I had something to do with all of my accomplishments.

My prayer is that I would continue to be thankful for the unending grace provided so freely to us who are so undeserving.