Consumed

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:13-15

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

There is an old poem about two cats. Both believed there was one cat too many in their town. They set out to eliminate each other. They were both successful. The poem goes like this:

There were once two cats of Kilkenny.

Each thought there was one cat too many.

They fought and they spit.

They clawed and they bit.

Till instead of two cats there weren’t any.

Paul warns us against this very sort of spirit in the church. We can devour one another until we consume one another. The antidote is love that serves one another.

“Love your neighbor as yourself,” is the law that never goes out of fashion and saves us a lot of grief if we will put it into action.

Photo by Aleksandar Popovski on Unsplash