Devotion - Keeping the Unity

Eph 4: 1-3 - As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

One of the devil's potent missile to destroy the church of God is by bringing disunity. Over the years I have seen how the devil had used this weapon in many churches, especially in my church. Distrust, backbiting, false accusations and undermining authority are some of the shrapnel of this missile. If he can only get the Christians to be engaged in tearing down one another, he would have succeeded in distracting the church from its important occupations. Worst still, Christians become the reason why many do not become followers of Jesus. That's the sad state of the church today.

Realizing this pitfall, Paul pleads with the church, to keep the unity. He does this not in the capacity of an Apostle, (an office that has become the pursuit of many today) but rather as a debased prisoner. Paul could have used his authority as a spiritual father, as a missionary, an evangelist, or even the highest office of an Apostle. But when it comes to connecting the fragile links of unity, he chooses to use the disgraced term, "prisoner" for himself. In actual terms it means a captive, a slave, one who is willing to do anything that will please his master. That really is the mark of a man who makes every effort to keep the bond of unity. He has no airs, no personal ambitions but only to serve the Lord Jesus Christ whose prisoner he is. Paul is willing to get "so low" so that the spirit of unity will prevail in the church of God. In fact for Paul, christian unity is more important than personal pursuits. In many cases today, Christians cannot see eye to eye because we hold on to our rights, our ambitions and our pride. If only we can see others through the cross of Jesus Christ, we would have responded as Paul.

Live a life worthy of your calling. Living a life worthy of our calling is not a request but our duty that arises from a thankful heart. One way of doing this is to see that the unity in the house of God is strengthened and cemented. Just like Jesus humbled himself to bring man to God (Phi 2:8), Paul humbles himself to bring man to man. A great lesson in humility. A christian will remain a white washed sepulcher, if he breeds seeds of disunity or harbors hatred within the inner chambers of his heart. All our hallelujahs and praise the Lord on a Sunday morning will amount to a stench in His nostrils if one does not endeavor to preserve the unity of the saints. Paul says make every effort to keep the unity. Its not passive but active. Take action, make it work, move others to do the same. Unity just does not fall from the sky, just like success does not come by idling around. It hard work. It has to be bonded in peace. The opposite is destruction, the work of the devil, for, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10).

How do we do it? Paul gives four important links in this bond of peace:

• Be completely humble. You see, if we want to keep the bond of unity, its not just humility is required but complete humility. That's why the Message Bible translates this passage as "And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. One of the greatest example of humility recorded in the Bible is that of Esau. You would recall that it was Jacob who cheated and deprived Esau of all the first-born blessings. It was Jacob that needs to ask for forgiveness and take the first step in restitution. But in Gen 33:4 - But Esau ran toward Jacob and hugged and kissed him. It was Esau who took the first step of complete humility. May God help us to be people who will be completely humble when it comes to keeping the unity. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was God who took the first step to look out for them. He also took initiative in our redemption (Romans 5:8-10). when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.While we were yet sinners, Christ dead for us. while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son. God took the first step to reach out to man. How much more should we?

• Be gentle. Have you ever wondered how the term "gentleman" came about. It was used to refer to a man who was well-educated and came from a noble family with distinction. He was elevated either by rank or by personal qualities. As Christians we belong to the noblest family of all, we are the sons and daughters of God (John 1:12) and because we are filled by the Holy Spirit we should be bearing the most noble personal qualities of all, the fruit of the Spirit ( Gal 5:22). There is apparently a short supply of gentle men and gentle women today. It was said of Jesus in Mathew 12:18-20 - “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break,and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. Pro 15: 1 - "A soft answer turns away wrath." Psalms 18:35 - "Thy gentleness hath made me great." I am reminded of two great gentlemen in the Bible. First was Joseph in the Old testament. He faced the temptation posed by Potiphar's wife. Most men would have taken advantage of the situation or would have blamed the other party for the sin and done justly so. Not Joseph. A true gentleman who feared God and who respected the dignity of a woman. The other is the Joseph in the New Testament, the husband of Mary. The punishment for a woman to be with child before marriage is to stone her to death. When Joseph heard that Mary was with child, Mat 1:19 - Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Where are the gentlemen of today? Where are the gentleman and woman who will strive to keep the unity of the church at any cost.

Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb,
In Thy gracious hands I am;
Make me, Savior, what Thou art,
Live Thyself within my heart.

I shall then show forth Thy praise,
Serve Thee all my happy days;
Then the world shall always see
Christ the holy Child, in me.

Charles Wesley

• Be patient. Patience is a virtue that is slowly fading away from the present "fast and instant generation." We have instant coffee, instant noodles, instant sambar and rasaam....Everything must be available at the finger tips. The McDonalisation of the Age. People cannot wait anymore. We get impatient if the train is a minute late or somebody overtakes us on the road. We get so worked up when God delays in answering our prayer. It was the impatience of Moses that cost him the entry into the promise land. It was the impatience of Saul that cost him the crown. If not for the Lord Jesus, the impatience of James and John would have brought fire from heaven and destroyed the cites of Samaria. It is the impatience of many that has caused many a churches to be split. People get so easily irritated and agitated. We are easily provoked and the response in unwholesome words, murmurings, fights, civil suits and disharmony. Some may not show in such actions but there is a volcano erupting within, of anger and bitterness. Eventually it shows in the faces. What about the Lord Jesus. Yes there were times when he was angry but he never lost control of himself or the situation. 1 Peter 2:21-23 - To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. ”When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.God never does anything in a hurry. We need to learn to be like Jesus and be patient. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The key is to be filled with the Spirit daily. Keeping the unity of the saints requires a lot of patience.

• Bearing with one another in love. In Gal 6:2, Paul says, Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. How do we carry each other's burden:

1. A willingness to look out for the betterment of others...even if it means depriving yourself of the best of all things.(Gen 13:5-11)
2. Consider others better than yourselves. (Phi 2:3)
   
3. Forgive the other (Eph 4:32)
   
4. Pray for the other (James 5:16)
   
5. Restore the fallen (Gal 6:1)
   
6. Encourage the other (Eph 5:19)
   
7. Meeting the needs of others (Mat 25:35)
   
8. Be a peacemaker (Mat 5:9)

1 Cor 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.