I remember helping my little Grandpa fix cars occasionally. There was nothing he couldn't fix. I don't ever recall him saying to me as a little boy, "Can you go ahead and replace that transmission for me?" So what did he do? He gave me a wrench to hold, a bolt to screw in. He knew my limitations. He loved the car too much to leave that all up to me. But more than that, he loved me too much to make it all about me. He loved me too much to give me too much. God is no different. God frees us from such a burden. Max Lucado puts it this way, "You can no more die for your own sins than you can solve world hunger. And according to him, that’s okay. The world doesn’t’ rely on you. God loves you too much to say it’s all about you."
My friend and I were at a restaurant last week and we asked our waiter what question he would ask God if he had the chance. He said he'd need to think about it. Five minutes later he came back and said, "I think I'd ask God why there are so many denominations and churches. Can't we all just get along?" Interesting question. Did you know in the US alone we have over 2000 different protestant denominations? Diversity in the church can be a great thing because there are different styles of worship to fit the differing tastes and preferences of Christians. Diversity yes, disunity no. A quote often attributed to Augustine sums it up nicely - "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity."
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