When it comes to unity it must come because God works in a heart. We can not make unity happen. Unity has to happen because of God and what he does in the hearts of people. The Church of Jesus Christ is one of the most amazing things ever. It takes people of all financial backgrounds, social backgrounds, racial background, and positions in life – mixes them together as one and as equals and they work together – for the most part – to further the Kingdom of God.
When thinking about this I come to the words of Paul in Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all equal and unified. We are called to unity regardless of where we have been, what we have done, or how long we have been together because we are all one in Christ. We are called to love one another and that is a big order.
When thinking about this big order of love my mind went to 1stJohn 4:7,8 which says: 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In unity we are called to love – if you have hatred for another in Christ then there is question whether or not you know God according to the verse. What we see is that unity is love thing.
When I began to really grasp this idea of love and unity the Lord brought this to mind. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 which says, 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Powerful verses when you think about love in the context of unity.
The 1 Corinthians verses really hit me when I thought about unity. How often does disunity come because of jealousy, arrogance, acting unbecomingly, taking into account others wrongs, rejoices because someone else failed? The answer for me is all too often. How about with you?
Do you see the connection between love and unity and unloving and disunity? What are your thoughts?
