Do you have a “pet issue”? Probably most folks do. It’s that thing that you feel particularly strong about and will mention in conversations with certain folks quite often.
For example, if you talk to some church members about the worship service, it probably won’t be long before they talk about their “pet issue”—the choice of songs, the choice of men to lead in worship, the attire of those men, the length of the sermon, the thermostat, the time taken for the Lord’s Supper (too long or too short), the service times, etc. The same kind of thing happens when church members start talking about the church in general or the decisions of the elders.
I’d like to encourage some of us to go to the pet shop and get a new “pet issue.” Let’s focus more on seeing lost souls, on helping church members in need, on craving opportunities to worship God, rather than, well, focusing on personal preferences (Phil. 2:3). When I get focused on me “doing” (Gal. 6:10; Luke 6:31; 10:37; Matt. 7:21), I have less time to focus on what others are “doing” or “not doing.”