Unity in Christ
There is no doubt that God's will is for all Christians to have a genuine unity that comes from knowing Christ. However, this often does not happen because we do not see God correctly, and we do not understand His goals for us.(Romans 15:5,6) Let's let these verses help us with unity today.
God is the God of patience and comfort, both of which are necessary for unity to develop and to thrive. It is hard to be patient with someone else with whom we do not fully agree in doctrine and in practice. However, if we dismiss them because of a lack of patience, we will never come to a true unity in Christ. We will be separated by non-essential matters. Also, you may have been hurt by other believers in the past. We all have experienced that in some way. We have to go to the God of comfort and receive the strength to move forward in forgiveness. Then, we can love each other and have a oneness in Christ.
The goal is to have one mind and one mouth to glorify God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord. Since we have the same Father and the same Lord, why can't we come to an agreement on truth when it comes to glorifying God? I believe it is because we are not seeking unity, but division. We selfishly want our way. The world sees that selfishness and that division. They do not want to have any part of a faith or a family that can't love each other and agree on the essentials.
Think about this as we read I and II Corinthians. The church at Corinth was a troubled fellowship of believers. Ask God to show you why there was so much trouble and division. It did not come from God. He wants unity. Let's pray diligently that we can be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, not just for ourselves, but so the world can come to see Jesus in us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 2-4.
God is the God of patience and comfort, both of which are necessary for unity to develop and to thrive. It is hard to be patient with someone else with whom we do not fully agree in doctrine and in practice. However, if we dismiss them because of a lack of patience, we will never come to a true unity in Christ. We will be separated by non-essential matters. Also, you may have been hurt by other believers in the past. We all have experienced that in some way. We have to go to the God of comfort and receive the strength to move forward in forgiveness. Then, we can love each other and have a oneness in Christ.
The goal is to have one mind and one mouth to glorify God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord. Since we have the same Father and the same Lord, why can't we come to an agreement on truth when it comes to glorifying God? I believe it is because we are not seeking unity, but division. We selfishly want our way. The world sees that selfishness and that division. They do not want to have any part of a faith or a family that can't love each other and agree on the essentials.
Think about this as we read I and II Corinthians. The church at Corinth was a troubled fellowship of believers. Ask God to show you why there was so much trouble and division. It did not come from God. He wants unity. Let's pray diligently that we can be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, not just for ourselves, but so the world can come to see Jesus in us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 2-4.