2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Share with me your thoughts. How else can I discover if we are of one mind? Too often we hold our thoughts private to ourselves because of fear. We fear rejection. We fear loss of respect. We fear being wrong.

How can we be of one mind if we are not willing to concede that we might be wrong on any matter? Which is more important, to be right or to love? In the list above Paul encourages us to be perfect. I believe he means in love. He says to be of good comfort. I believe he means in love.

When it comes to the one mind, how can we be a mind in love? Because we are imperfect we must allow that our minds might not love perfectly. Having one mind cannot be a shared experience in solitude. If we love one another as we are asked, how can we hold our minds subject to any other control but that of Christ?

The problem comes when another does not agree. What do you do with that moment? How do you come to a point of agreement? Both minds must seek safe haven, a place where love abounds and only God is right. That means letting go of self and allowing God to shine truth into the moment. We have to put love first. If we can do that, what does it matter what was said, thought or felt?

1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:

Then we have no fear in being vulnerable towards one another.

Numbers 30”2 If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

I find myself in a position to talk about myself. This is my heart and I cannot say how one should or should not deal with this subject. Grace be unto anyone who can relate to my words, my heart and this issue.

I am the Lord’s, I belong to Him. I vowed a vow in my heart to the Lord which He did not ask of me, nor can I say that He encouraged. The vow was of my own making and the Lord is not bound in it. It is of my own making.

I will not blame the enemy of my soul for tempting me to break the vow. I have not broken the vow, but my own words haunt me. This is of my own doing, I have no one to accuse for the thoughts and feeling of my mind and soul.

Circumstance come about where I am reminded of my vow. The Holy Spirit works in my conscience to remind me of my vow. I thank God for His Spirit and those not so gentle reminders, but the vow is mine to own and no one else’s responsibility. Grace and forgiveness are the Lord’s but I cannot see myself breaking my vow with the intention of availing myself of those heavenly gifts. I cannot see myself.

This isn’t about how God sees me, it is about how I see myself. I will not speak to the actions or results of another man’s vow. Those vows do not belong to me. Considering all that I have been through because I made that vow, would I have said it, if I had known these results. Yes.

But I weigh carefully the issues of vows more closely, more thoroughly and with much more respect now. I will not consider any new vow without examining it carefully.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.