June 8

Spirit Of Unity

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5,6

With all the diversity in the body of Christ, Paul is not telling us we must agree on all issues. On a number of occasions he admonished the church to agree to disagree, but in love. Yet Paul has another important message for us and that is if we look to God for unity, he will help us obtain it. Unity takes work, it takes endurance which only comes from above. It takes the encouragement of the Father that this IS His will. Yet beyond any disagreement, there is one thing we can all agree on: that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior! It was Jehovah who sent him to suffer and die for us. Our salvation was ensured. When Jesus rose again, he brought with him the hope of eternal life and one day He will take us home with him to reign forevermore. Because of those facts which we can agree upon, we can with one heart and one mouth glorify God our Father together with every other believer on earth. We must praise God for Jesus and all that salvation means to us! Our hearts and our voices will never cease to praise Him for His love and grace.

Father, thank you for giving us your strength and your endurance when it comes to the spirit of unity in the church. Help us to look beyond our differences and to focus on Christ and all that he has done for us. Thank you for encouraging us to never give up. May we never cease from praising you for Jesus and the grace you so freely bestowed upon us. We praise you, Father! We glorify your Holy name and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Amen.