Tag Archives: attitude

PRAYING GOD’S WAY – 16

Prayer, ,

ATTITUDE

Someone recently told me about a radio program she tunes into on her way to work. A marriage counsellor mentioned that he listens for one thing when a client is telling his/her story… contempt. This exposes the attitude of the counsellee towards the other person.

Think about it. When we have a conflict with another person, regardless who they are, we stand apart from him/her and point fingers… contempt!

Jesus said we must pray for our enemies. That’s a loaded requirement! Sometimes our prayers can be full of contempt. What are we doing? We are setting the standard for our own judgment AND for our own punishment.

‭Matthew 7:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

What should be our attitude when we pray for others? Believers who have fallen into sin? Family members who are at loggerheads with us? Marriage partners who treat us badly? Enemies who get in our hair? Unbelievers who offend us by their wicked behaviour? Government officials who fail? I quote, “The world is a magical place full of people waiting to be offended by something” (or someone – added)!

Two examples from Scripture, prayers from two people who had every right to be offended, who were unjustly and cruelly executed.

‭Luke 23:34 NLT‬
[34] Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

‭Acts of the Apostles 7:59-60 NLT‬
[59] “As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” [60] He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.”

What was the difference between them and us? They changed the accusation from, “Look what they did to me!” to “Look what they are doing to themselves!”

We easily and quickly take offence and demand retribution when we think about ourselves first. Our prayers will reflect this attitude. Do some of David’s prayers come close to contempt?

‭Psalms 3:7 NLT‬
[7] “Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!”

There is a place for God’s justice in His scheme of things. We anticipate the day when He will avenge all the wrongs done to His people. He promised a day of judgment when Jesus comes.

‭2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NLT‬
[6]”In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. [7] And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, [8] in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.”

However, Paul is not praying for or gloating over the judgment to come on the wicked. He is stating the sober fact that it will happen to those who reject Jesus.

The Bible’s stance is compassion for those on whom God’s terrible judgment will fall. God grieved over His wayward people. He could not treat them as their sins deserved.

‭Hosea 11:8-9 NLT‬
[8] “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. [9] No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

Jesus wept over His enemies. He was more concerned for them than for Himself.

‭Matthew 23:37 NLT‬
[37] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me… “

‭Luke 19:41-44 NLT‬
[41] But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. [42] “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. [43] Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. [44] They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

‭Luke 23:28 NLT‬
[28]”But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

It’s amazing how quickly one’s attitude changes from
contempt to compassion when one thinks of the destiny of those whose words and behaviour reflects their hearts. Perhaps we will move closer to the heart of the Father when we pray with compassion for the lost rather than call for their destruction.

‭‭Ezekiel 18:23 NLT‬
[23] “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die?” says the Sovereign Lord. “Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.”

‭2 Peter 3:9 NLT‬
[9] “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

14 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

Christian Life, ,

14 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

We’ve already done a whole study on the kingdom power of righteousness, zeroing in on the protection Jesus’s righteousness gives us against the devil’s wiles.

Now we will go into more detail about our response to our standing in righteousness – generosity.

The Old Testament has much to say about generosity; in fact, “generosity” and “righteousness” are used interchangeably in many passages. For example:

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.  They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”Psalms 37:25-26 NIV

The Hebrew word for righteousness is “tsadaq”; if you add an “ah” to the end of “tsadaq”, you get “tsadaqah” which means “righteousness revealed” and is often translated as “generosity”. Through our generosity, we show the righteousness that is in us.

Generosity begins with an attitude… gratitude towards God for His immense generosity towards us.

“Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:13-15 NIV

Any generosity we show to others is or should be rooted in God’s generosity towards us. We sometimes give out of guilt or compulsion but our true motive should be a response to what God has done for us.

I found this verse in the Old Testament which shows us how much God values our expressions of gratitude.

“Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Psalms 50:23 NLT

God’s generosity towards us is centred in the person of His Son and comes to us through His attitude of mercy and grace. His generosity is much more than just money and material things. His generosity lies behind everything He has done and still does for us and is rooted in His love. In fact, God takes care of all our needs because He is our Father.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:7-8 NLT

God’s generosity towards us covers all His dealings with us and goes right back to His original intention to have a family of sons and daughters who live together with Him in love and harmony.

Since His human family became dysfunctional through sin, God’s mercy and grace through the sacrifice of His Son have enhanced the revelation of the greatness of His generosity towards us.

Money and greed hold unrighteous people in the world system in absolute slavery. In fact, Paul hit the nail on the head when he wrote..

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil….” 1 Timothy 6:10 NLT

How true this is and how well we know it from the plight our own country is in right now! Even the most humanitarian of professions, medicine, is, in the end, driven by money.

Jesus used a Hebrew grammatical construction (called a chiasm) to explain the root cause of our attitude towards money.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Matthew 6:24 NLT

This chiasmic construction focuses on the central statement, not that no one can serve two masters but that “you will hate the one and love the other” and that “you will be devoted to one and despise the other.” In other words, you will serve the one you love, be it God or money.

Since we have been made a new creation through the power of the gospel, we have a new love and a new motive for being generous.

However, money, or more accurately, mammon – the god (demonic power) of money, is so powerful that it can easily drag believers back under its sway if we don’t cling to the right attitude towards God and His mercy towards us.

“And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 NLT

Although our generosity towards others must be much wider than just about money, since Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject, money plays a big part in the way we express our generosity towards others.

Firstly, let me explain that stealing in Hebrew thought was much more than taking what didn’t belong to you. It included withholding from others what you could give to help them.

In the end, it all comes down to the value we put on God’s mercy shown towards us in the gift of His Son.

This thought leads us to another… have we lost our first love?

The love of money is very subtle. It creeps in gradually when our attention is drawn to it either through poverty or wealth. If we don’t have enough, we crave more to survive. If we have enough, we want more to buy more things. Whatever our circumstances, money will rule us if it is the object of our attention.

How can we avoid being trapped by the love of money so that we do not become hoarders rather than givers?

  1. Of course, the first and best way to break the power of stinginess is to be a giver. The more we share our resources, the more we reap the benefits of generosity.

However, to be a generous giver, we need a motivation to give more powerful than the love of money.

  1. If money has taken over your thinking, it’s time to repent and return to your first love. What do I mean by “your first love”?

Perhaps you have been taught that first love is the wild, extravagant love you had for Jesus when you first believed. You just couldn’t get enough of Him. However, as time went on, your enthusiasm cooled and now you feel guilty because you just haven’t been able to recover that feeling.

The Bible gives us a different perspective on “first love”. If our love for Jesus is rooted in and has to find its motivation in ourselves, it is bound to fail. We are naturally fickle and fallible.

However, there is a source of love that will never fail.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:10, 19 NIV

Our love for God and others must be rooted in God’s love for us which He showed us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sin.

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLT

The solution is simple. We become like the thing we give attention to. The more we think about money, the more we will crave it. The more we focus on God’s love in Jesus, the more we will love Him and learn to be givers like He is.

Once we have money in its correct perspective – our servant, not our master – we will discover that generosity with our resources is a powerful kingdom tool for living under God’s rule in an ungodly world system.

How do we multiply our resources to meet our own needs and the needs of others?

The world’s economic system functions on buying and selling, profit and loss, and the accumulation of wealth through the addition of interest. Money has to work to make more money. So, the world’s focus is on making money and the motive is greed.

The kingdom’s economic system is different and very simple.

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38 NLT

In the course of His many instructions about money, Jesus told us how to manage our money in such a way that we will always have enough and to spare.

  1. We must first settle the issue of ownership. Who owns the money we earn? God does! We, and everything we have, belong to Him.

“… You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price….” 1 Cor. 6:19-20 NLT

  1. Since we are stewards, not owners of what we have, God has the right to tell us how to use our money and possessions.

God has promised to take care of our material needs on one condition:

“So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

“Live righteously…” What does that mean? We have already learned that, to live righteously means to be generous in all our dealings with people. This includes our attitudes and behaviour as well as our resources.

How do we do that? By God’s grace!!

He tells us to put our money into the “bank of heaven” by giving to those in need.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

By sharing with others, we invest in a heavenly asset-management programme which has returns far beyond the meagre percentages worldly systems offer. God underwrites His promises which are infinite and limitless with the ownership of the universe.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.” Psalms 50:12 NLT

He does not work by percentages or profit but by His own nature. God is a giver beyond anything we can imagine.

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:32 NLT

In order to access His available resources, we need to change our focus. We are most often times need-conscious. We are concerned and pray about needs. Jesus said, “Don’t do that.” “So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ Matthew 6:31 NLT

Instead, focus on His kingdom. Take care of His business, and He will take care of yours. When we have a need, our concern should not be, “What can I do to make more money?” but “What can I do to show God’s love to someone else?”

This is a faith transaction that produces a miracle. God supplies our need by creating a current. When we give, we make space for more to flow back to us. This is how it works.

“Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”  And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others…. “

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 10-12 NLT

What is God’s purpose in this divine economic system?

1. He is changing you and recreating in you the image of Jesus, His Son, as a member of His family.

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

2.He is meeting the needs of others through you.

“Right now, have plenty and can help those who are in need….”

3. He is meeting your needs through others.

“… Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.” 2 Corinthians 8:14 NLT 

4. He is being thanked, praised and glorified.

“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT

Paul shows us, from his own experience, how this principle works in practice.

“As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then travelled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.

I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Philippians 4:15-20 NLT

There are some rich pickings in Paul’s response to the generosity of the Philippian church.

  1. Paul does not specifically thank them for being generous. Was he being ungrateful? No, he was commenting on their generosity because they were the only ones among the churches that showed their obedience to their faith in Jesus. He was expressing his gratitude that they were demonstrating the fruit of the gospel in their gifts to him.
  1. He was more focused on the enrichment they would experience than his own financial gain.

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT

Paul’s attitude exposes the remnants of selfishness that are still in us. We tend to get more excited about our own enrichment rather than the blessing on the giver.

  1. Paul elevated the grace of giving to an act of worship.

“… They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God…”

  1. Paul shows us how generosity creates the current that takes care of our needs.

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

We must be careful not to take this promise out of context. Paul confirms what Jesus taught, that God’s generosity towards us, in this matter of our needs, is His response to our generosity towards others in need.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”Matthew 6:33 NLT

  1. Paul concludes with the motivation for everything we do in life, including the way we view and treat others.

“Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.”

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 NLT

Once again, we come back to God’s original purpose – to have a family of sons and daughters who live together in love and harmony in the family of God. Through our attitudes and actions of generosity prompted by love, we are being renewed and restored to the image of Jesus.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

DO NOT JUDGE

Christian Life, , ,

The story of the Prodigal Son is the most beautiful of all Jesus’ stories.

It’s a familiar story because we know it well and because it is the story of many families.  It’s not the story line that surprises me, however, but the outcome.  How many fathers would receive back a wayward son without reproach?  How many fathers would treat that son like royalty even though he still smelt like the pig pen?

There’s another line in the story that catches my attention because it is an all-too-familiar scene that plays out in human families and in the family of God.  Have you noticed the  contrast between the attitudes of the younger and the older son?  Jesus could have ended His story with the celebration in honour of the son’s return, but He didn’t.  From a literary point of view the story has a rather weak ending but Jesus wasn’t interested in literature.  He was interested in true life.  He tells us the sequel.

The younger son was a rebel and a bad boy, but he came home with these words on his lips, “Father, I have sinned.”  He owned his bad behaviour and repented before God and his father.  He didn’t blame his parents or his circumstances for his choices.  He acknowledged his guilt and was pardoned and restored to his family.

The words on the lips of the older brother reveal the attitude of his heart.  The younger brother said, “I have sinned.”  With scathing contempt the older brother pointed his finger at his younger brother and said, “You have sinned.”  How many older brothers are there who point the finger at others and say, “You have sinned.”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes this point very clear.  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Matthew 7:1,2.

Who was set free from guilt in this story?  Certainly not the older brother.  He held on to his guilt of hypocrisy and pride while the “sinner” was forgiven.

What about you?  Have you forgiven and released from your judgment every person who has offended you?  Jesus made it clear that, if you do not, you will not be forgiven.

Money – The Overflow Of The Heart

Christian Life, , , ,

MONEY – THE OVERFLOW OF THE HEART

Money! Strange, isn’t it, that Jesus spoke more about money and possessions and His disciples’ attitude to them than He did about the subjects we would have thought important to Him as His followers – “spiritual” things like faith and love and prayer. Why did He have so much to say about money? I think He had a pretty good idea about what drives the world and what controls the hearts of people, then as it does now. Perhaps the problem is not so much money as the love of money which, said Paul, is the root of all kinds of evil.

As disciples of Jesus, we need to have the correct attitude towards our money which arises, first of all from what is central in our lives; either our love-relationship to God as our Father and the trust that flows from that love, or our doubts and fears about Him which cause us to trust the money we can see rather than the God we can’t see. We become preoccupied with the things that the pagans run after when we are unsure about our heavenly Father’s trustworthiness towards us as His children.

Consider this chiasm to which we have already referred:

A   No one can serve two masters.

B   Either he will hate the one and

C   Love the other, or

C’  He will be devoted to one and

B’   Despise the other.

A’  You cannot serve both God and Money.

(Matt. 6: 24).

Either money or God will occupy our affection – not both and. Jesus was adamant. It’s not primarily about who or what we serve. It’s about who or what we love. We cannot – it is impossible to – serve God and money.

Before we can consider the ramifications of our attitude towards money and the way we use it, we must get this one thing straight. Either we love God or we don’t. Either we trust Him as our heavenly Father or we don’t. There is no middle road. Our priority love for God or money will direct everything we do with the resources we have been given.

We also need to have the correct disposition. The part that money plays in our lives is determined by our basic disposition. The godless person is essentially selfish and self-serving. He does not recognise the goodness and grace of God in the world around him. He is self-absorbed and cannot see beyond the end of his nose.  His eyes look inward, not outward and he concentrates only on his own wants and needs. In Hebrew thought, this was called “the evil eye” which was diagnosed by its attitude towards money and possessions.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matt. 6: 22-23)

Jesus has rescued us from the dominion (control) of selfishness and greed (darkness) and transferred us into the realm of God’s rule which is generous and full of mercy (the kingdom of light – Col. 1: 13-14). He has given us a new disposition – “the eye of light”.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5: 17)

The ”eye of light” is able to see beyond its own needs to the needs of others. It recognises God’s goodness in its own life and participates in His goodness by sharing it with others. It understands that to give is the way to enter into the flow of God’s goodness. It builds and strengthens the disposition of light.

Jesus taught His disciples that God does not simply meet our needs when we ask Him. He has put in place a system which ensures that we show the world around us what He is like by being generous to others. God’s resources flow back to us when we use our resources to bless others.

Like our mouths, the way we handle our money is a mirror of our hearts.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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He Deserves The Praise

Bible Study, , , ,

HE DESERVES THE PRAISE

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other than Christ Jesus had so that, with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:5-7.

Once again, as he always did, Paul came full circle back to God as the one who works in everything and who deserves and must receive the credit for doing the work.

Our study of the Old Testament has many outcomes.

We gain an understanding of the roots of our faith. It is not a human philosophy spawned in the fertile imagination of some mystic. It is the revelation of God to real people in real human circumstances in a real geographical place through real human experiences.

We watch and listen to their responses and learn how to interact with the same God through faith and obedience. Just as He met with them then, so He meets with us now and treats us with the same mercy and compassion He had towards them. We discover that His passion for our wellbeing is the same as it was for them. We learn to hear His voice and follow Him just as they were supposed to do but failed because of their stubborn rebellion. When we obey Him, we find that His promises are true.

We uncover some of the nuances of their culture and lifestyle. Against that backdrop, His word begins to make sense, even for us with a western, Greek-based mind-set. Middle Eastern cultural practices, and especially Jewish beliefs and behaviour take on new meaning and Jesus begins to emerge from the pages of the New Testament as a flesh-and-blood person with a real family background and history.

As we blend into the body of Christ from all nations and walks of life, we learn the meaning of unity. Everything God does is to restore unity between us and Him and between one another because unity is the essence of His image. Everything God made was intended to work together in unity to reflect the oneness in the Godhead.

He created the universe as a unit; every star, planet and heavenly body was meant to interact in harmony across space.  Sin disrupted the unity, but it will be restored when all imperfection is removed at Jesus’ return.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

“And He is the head of the Body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood,  shed on the cross.”  Colossians 1:15-20.

Jesus removed the reason for the disruption of unity through His death. It is up to us to live out in practice what He achieved through the cross so that the world may see the miracle of restoration in the fellowship of the church. Unity is impossible in the world because human beings are irreconcilably alienated from one another by their selfishness.  Only through God’s power at work in us by the Holy Spirit can our hearts be transformed and the image of God be restored in us.

As we reflect God’s nature by our willingness to accept one another and live in harmony, God is glorified because it can only happen through His power at work in us. Jesus said:

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22, 23.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.