Some day each one of us is going to sit before the judgement seat of God, so “tend to your own knitting,” as Eugene Peterson translates it in The Message. Are you more concerned with what kind or color of yarn your neighbor is using? Would you rather knot threads together into one unit with your knitting needles or point them at–or even poke–the person next to you?

If you were taking notes while Paul lectured, you would want to chart the main points of what he is teaching. I like to use outlines to remember and study what I’ve heard.

Verses 1-4	Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with. (1, MSG)
Verses 5-9	None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to–all the way from life to death and everything in between–not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again. (9, MSG)
Verses 10-13	Each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause anotherbeliever to stumble and fall. (12-13, NLT)
Verses 19-22	Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you. (18, MSG)
Verse 23	If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong. (23, MSG)

Do I talk and act in such as way that others feel welcomed into my presence, feel safe as we talk, and feel understood and encouraged when they leave? That’s the kind of light I want to shine, a reflection of your love, Lord. Please fill me so full that I can’t contain it.

A key word for me in the verse was harmony, so I had to include musical pictures of harmony. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop! So here’s an eclectic mix of musical harmony, many genres, many sounds, but all glorious music.