"Why?"

Why can’t we all just get along,

The Good Book tells us why,

Ego’s war is in full force,

And few people try,

To think of others much at all,

Or what they think and feel,

Whatever love they might have had,

Grew cold or was not real.

What’s left is competition,

With gender, age and race,

Demanding their entitlement,

At a fast, alarming pace.

Remember ancient wisdom,

Our lust unsatisfied,

Springs from our own selfishness,

And God’s will defied.

Never really seeking Him,

And if so, motives bad,

Affairs ongoing with the world,

Discontent with all we’ve had.

So, tell me what’s the answer,

When we can’t get along,

Jesus Christ, alone the cure,

He’ll save us from the wrong.

Forgive the sin and heal the hurt,

And give strong peace between us,

And then by grace we’ll get along,

God’s love, for sure, has seen us.

“What is causing the quarrels and and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” (James 4:1, NLT)

Conflicts with each other are the outward manifestation of internal problems, according to the book of James, It’s all about seeing others as a means to our own selfish ends, including God Himself. When our hearts aren’t right, it is inevitable that God will resist our pride until we humbly seek Him. When we do, his grace will empower us to find all we need in His provision. Until then we’ll be looking for love, and everything else, in all the wrong places.

Lord, purify our hearts and help us to humbly seek You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, brucegreeneart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.