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What does unity look like? It's hard to pinpoint "unity" if we just look around us at the world. There's more than one person living in my home, so we frequently are in a state of dis-harmony. Thankfully as believers, we have an instruction manual to refer to! The Bible tells us to live in unity with ourselves, with the people around us, and with God. It's all over the Bible: every knee will bow, every tongue will confess, the very rocks will cry out if we are silent, and many others. All of Philippians 2 is a great description, but I'll just share a teaser with you...

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10-11 NLT

 

What do we rally around? Not a what, but a who: Jesus! Jesus came to the world to be the final redemptive piece that healed the separation between us and our loving Father. Our spirits can be unified with the Lord, because His Spirit now lives within us. No matter our convictions regarding foreign policy, or the way ingredients are labeled on store products, or who should be the next American Idol, we can all rally around one truth that binds us together: Jesus! Having convictions is not wrong, but letting them get in the way of God's call on our lives or of those around us is. And we are all united in the mission God called us to - go into all the nations and tell of His Good News.

 

Today (July 4), most of the United States celebrates together - we commemorate the radical actions of this nation's forefathers in seceding from Great Britain. This is a good practice - we see in the Old Testament God giving instruction for times of regular celebration and rest. Our celebration goes beyond what was declared on this day in 1776! The freedom we have in Christ is so much greater than any earthly freedom found in any country.

 

How amazing is it to live in a world (not just the US) with so many different people - all different shapes, sizes, abilities, colors, languages, you name it - and yet we are all the same when we stand before God? What an amazing picture - a picture of unity.

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