-thinking Jesus-

United

September 14, 2010

When I think of examples of unity in the Bible, a few names quickly come to mind.

Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus and there are times when I feel as Martha did in Luke 10:38 ff. She wanted everything to be perfect and felt it was her duty to see that it was. However, she quickly lost herself in the details of the day and let what someone else was doing (or not doing) blind her from where she needed to be.

As she hurried around the house making preparations her sister, Mary, sat at the feet of the Messiah. In Martha’s eyes, her sister didn’t care as much as she did. She wasn’t interested in the day’s event. She had become indifferent to what was going on around her. Surely, the Lord would see it her way but leave it to the Son of God to straighten out this devout woman’s near-sightedness (Luke 10:41-42).

Unity begins when we stop seeing others through our own eyes and start seeing them through the eyes of Jesus. However, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and common to get caught up in the here and now. May we never become so focused on another’s shortcomings (or what we perceive them to be) that we lose sight of our goal.

Another one of my favorite examples of unity (or the lack thereof) is found in Philippians 4. Euodia and Syntyche were church going Christian women who had been helping the Apostle Paul spread the Gospel. They could have been the potluck organizers, shower decorators, and enthusiastic Bible class teachers. They could’ve been converting the masses or the best writers or teachers in the country but the Lord didn’t want us to know about all the good they had accomplished. He wanted their names remembered for another reason.

Scripture doesn’t give many details regarding what these women were doing but we do know what they weren’t doing. They weren’t getting along. They weren’t loving each other the way God intended. They weren’t encouraging their brothers and sisters in the faith. They weren’t being Christ-like. They certainly weren’t united.

Christians, it’s time to make amends and heal wounds. We need to move forward and spread the Kingdom outward. There are apologies that need to be offered and apologies that need to be accepted. We have a duty to save those perishing in this world but how will we ever complete our mission if we can’t even get along with one another? Remember, the enemy revels in our strife and division.

Let’s meet at the feet of Jesus. In a world marred by sin and heartache, that’s the only place where peace will reign, hearts will be healed, and lives will be changed.

Unity matters and it starts with a loving attitude, a forgiving nature, and a heart for Jesus.

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