Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…  

                                                                                                               Romans 12:10 

You can observe it all throughout society, devotion to a cause or organization, creating a brotherhood of everyone belonging to the group. Take professional sports; two individuals who know nothing about one another yet cheer for the same team have something in common, especially when they are both wearing the team logo on a hat or t-shirt. The military also creates a brotherhood of men and women who have made sacrifices to serve our country in one of the branches of armed service. And who can deny the comradery among those who attend the same college or university. These are just a few of the examples of established groups who share a common interest and like-mindedness. But what about the church? Do we see that same brotherhood among Christians?

Paul suggests that we should. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” is the admonition found in today’s passage. But how do we accomplish that? Devotion means to have a profound dedication to someone or something. It is exactly what every born again believer and follower of Jesus Christ should have for each other. Just like a team that works together to achieve common goals, the church should be a well-oiled machine that is highly effective in reaching the world with the love of God and the good news of Jesus. So what exactly happens when the church lacks this kind of devotion?

We have a spiritual enemy that some would just choose to ignore, citing God’s ability to overcome this foe. While it is true that God has already defeated this enemy, the apostles gave time in their instructions to warn believers about his schemes. Everyone is susceptible to falling into the traps that he lays within the church so Paul spends time warning the church about divisions, attitudes that should not be a part of the Christian experience, and reminds us of our need to put on the spiritual armor of God (1 Corinthians 1:10-14, Ephesians 4:29-31, Ephesians 6:10-17).

Because of this, we should all rededicate ourselves to the prospect of being “devoted to one another in brotherly love.” There will always be a divide between believers and non-believers, but this relational chasm is not to be in the church. Whether or not you attend the same church is immaterial. If you belong to Christ, you belong to God, and by extension you belong to each other. You are a part of the same spiritual family. Find a tangible way today to establish or reestablish a relationship with a fellow believer today.