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Presented by Lisa Bishop
Unity is a powerful force, isn’t it? It strengthens relationships, enables us to accomplish more together, and most importantly, reflects the love and nature of God to the world around us. But unity is not something that just happens automatically. It requires intentional effort, humility, and a focus on our common purpose in Christ.
I don’t know about you but when I think about the idea of unity, I automatically think it means agreement. But the truth is we will not always see eye to eye, think exactly alike, or have the same opinions. Yet, we can still be a community that puts the love of Jesus on display and lives in unity even when we disagree. And it’s not if we will disagree, it’s when. Ultimately, what matters is how we show up in the midst of our conflicts.
Unity is an attitude of heart and is possible even when we see things from opposing perspectives. We need to be reminded as believers we are all united in Christ which unites us with one another. How we act towards each other matters. It’s critical to our witness as followers of Jesus. If we are backbiting, dissing, or speaking in disparaging ways toward others, especially fellow followers of Christ, we are giving the world a terrible representation of the gospel. As God’s image bearers we must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, show the world a higher and better way and point them to Christ by the way we act toward one another.
Ephesians 4:29-32 gives us sound instruction on attitudes and behaviors to get rid of and pursue to work toward unity:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:29-32).
If you were to take inventory of your words this past week, did they benefit those who heard them, or were they, as Paul says, unwholesome—meaning useless, rotten, or unfit for use? Do our words sow discord or harmony? It can be so easy, especially these days, to get riled up and let our flesh draw us into bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander. But we must realize and resist the schemes of the enemy and instead be overpowered by the Holy Spirit. In order to be overpowered by the Spirit we need to be in tune with the Spirit, and we can only do that when we regularly spend time in God’s Word and meditate on scripture, which grows our ability to sense God’s presence, hear his voice, and follow his ways.
And finally, let’s remember we grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to maintain peace and harmony in the body of Christ so let’s instead follow Paul’s words and choose to act in ways that create unity.