Complete Unity

What does unity mean to you? Are you willing to stick together through thick and thin? Are you willing to overlook shortcomings to remain unified in purpose? Will you seek to train your mind to focus on what is most important? Will you choose to focus on the reason for living?

Depending on what organization, team, or profession we are involved in, we may hear different takes on unity. A charitable organization may call for a unified front to feed those who are hungry. A team may focus on working together as one to win a championship. A company may call for unity to improve their product.

Unity is a unique mindset. It doesn’t require us to agree on all things. It does require us to be committed to what is most important for the group. A military unit can be unified on one task for a time and on another task at a different time. For instance, a unit may be sent to assist with disaster recovery for a few weeks, then sent into a combat situation. These are two very different tasks. However, the unit is unified in focus. Why? They are committed to their brothers and sisters in arms.

We, too, must be committed to our brothers and sisters—brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus prayed that ALL His followers would be unified in Him. Complete unity is not just a commitment but being of the same mind and same purpose. It requires us to stay focused on who is most important—Jesus Christ.

Our focus can drift to our personal preferences. It can drift to our favorite activity. It can overcome by worry over health, finances, relationships, or any number of situations. Jesus didn’t pray that we be unified when we agree, or everything is going along fine. He prayed that we be in complete unity, which means at all times, no matter what the situation.

I pray we all commit to be unified in Jesus. I pray we seek to keep our focus on Him in every situation. I pray each one of us will show the world what it means to be unified is Jesus. Love one another. Care for one another. Focus on Jesus. Make Jesus most important in your life. Be unified in Him.

John 17:22-23 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.

Foolishness Became Wise

Have you thought it would be nice to see a person who thinks they know everything be humbled? Have you wanted to tell them they are not as smart as they think they are? Do you know that is exactly what God has done? Do you know God has made the weak overcome the strong?

We come across know-it-alls in our lives. They are constantly telling everyone how much they know and correcting others. They come across as being cocky and conceited. Those types of people infuriate us. However, we may also appear to be the same to others.

Let’s set things straight right off the bat. There is nothing wrong with being smart. There is nothing wrong with correcting someone who is in the wrong. There is nothing wrong with physical strength. There is nothing wrong with making wise decisions. What is wrong is allowing being gifted by God with intelligence or physical strength to go to our head. We did not create ourselves, God did.

God has used what appears to be foolish to shame those who think of themselves as being wise. When? When Jesus went to the cross and rose on the third day. To go to the cross was shameful, humiliating, and downright horrific. Yet, God used it to provide a perfect sacrifice for our sinful ways. Only those who are willing to accept the shame of the cross are wise in the eyes of God.

God chose to be weak by coming in the form of a human, living in his creation. Through the weaking of humanity God displayed his strength by rising to life again. Through sacrificing himself and rising again, he gave life to everyone who will accept him. How amazing is that?!

I pray we all see the wisdom of God. I pray we recognize the strength God displayed through weakness. I pray each one of us accept the foolishness of God over the wisdom of the world. Accept God’s wisdom. Accept God’s strength. See that God is amazing. Choose God over the world.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

God’s Mercy at Work

Are you looking for a change? Do you want to change your life for the good? Has your life changed for the good? Were you previously a disobedient person chasing after worldly pleasures but now a much more settled person? Is there a reason for the change?

As we go through life, we often experience changes. Some changes are behavioral while others are physical. The behavioral changes are often more profound. They may include a complete reversal of behavior and attitude. They may occur suddenly or over the course of several years.

Paul writes to a friend of his, Titus, to provide some guidance for establishing a solid church on the island of Crete. In his letter, he gives some practical advice for behavioral changes. He tells Titus to remember that they had once chased after worldly pleasures and were disobedient to God. It was not that they changed on their own, but God had changed them through his mercy.

If we are continuing to be disobedient and continuing to chase after worldly pleasures and want to change, we also must turn to God and rely on his mercy. God’s mercy does not include only forgiveness of sin. It includes him taking time to mold us into the person he designed us to be. God didn’t create us to be miserable, to be slaves to sin, to be seeking temporary pleasures. He created us to seek eternal joy, be obedient to him, and serve him.

Much like Paul reminded Titus to look at their past and use it to remind those they were serving that change for good came from God, we should do the same. Occasionally, we should look at our past, evaluate where we were and where we are now. It encourages us to continue walking the path God has set us upon. It also reveals the mercy God has shown us.

I pray we all choose to change for the good. I pray we ask God to shed his mercy on us and change us. I pray each one of us will evaluate our past and continue pursuing the path God desires for us. Seek positive change. Ask God to make the change. Pursue God’s path. Evaluate your past. See how God has been merciful to you. Be encouraged by God’s mercy.

Titus 3:3-5 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Ah-ha Moment

Have you had all the pieces and failed to put the puzzle together? Did you have an ah-ha moment when someone explained it to you? Once it was explained, did those pieces make sense? Would you like to have the pieces put together to understand the life of Jesus?

We gather pieces of information throughout our lives. Some pieces fit nicely together while others seem to be out of place. We often put the pieces together that fit in an attempt to see the bigger picture. We may try to gather additional pieces of the puzzle to help us understand.

Many decisions are made based on incomplete information. Corporate leaders make decisions this way. Military leaders do as well. We even do this within our families. We may find ourselves in situations in which we need to make a decision based on partial information. The best we can do is look at the pieces we have and make the best decision based on those.

There were people that were at a loss when Jesus was crucified. They thought the Messiah would be a king that would bring Israel back to prominence. They had the pieces from prophecy but failed to put them together correctly. Jesus met a couple of men in just this state of wonderment on the road to Emmaus. Once He explained the prophecies, they had their ah-ha moment. They understood how the pieces fit together.

Unfortunately, there are many people in our world today who have not put the pieces together. All the pieces are available. We call them, collectively, the Bible. We can read it. We can put the pieces together. Yet many in this world never open it despite it always being the best-selling book. I can only imagine Jesus saying the same thing to many of us as He said to the two men He met on that road nearly two-thousand years ago.

I pray we all take time to read our Bible. I pray we study it and put the pieces together. I pray each one of us desire to understand the story God has put in our hands and spend time doing so. Read the Bible. Study the Scriptures. Put the pieces together. Understand God’s story. Increase your knowledge. Increase your faith. 

Luke 24:25-27 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Foolishness

Have you ever done something foolish? Have you looked back at a decision and thought, “I should have made a different decision. That was foolish.”? Do you now think through your choices more carefully because of having made a poor decision previously?

We have all made poor decisions. We may have gotten ourselves in debt to the point of drowning in it. We may have chosen a bad relationship. We may have chosen a profession that didn’t suit us. We may currently be living with the results of a bad decision.

When we make bad decisions, we feel foolish. We may even feel as though every person we encounter knows the bad decision we’ve made. It’s as though there is a billboard across our forehead announcing it. We try to put it behind us, but it takes a long time to do so.

There is one decision that can not only make us feel foolish, but it can be a decision that has an eternal effect—that is to choose to listen to Jesus or ignore Him. He tells us Himself that not listening to Him is foolish. We might as well be building a house on the beach with no foundation as to ignore Him. It has the same effect. We will regret it later. When we do not listen to Him, whatever we think we are building will come down with a crash.

How do we listen to Jesus? Through prayer. Prayer is not merely a time to lay out a litany of requests, but a time to listen for guidance. We have Jesus’ written guidance and the Holy Spirit by which Jesus continues to communicate to us. Once we become attuned to listening, we will be amazed at how much Jesus will communicate with us through His Spirit.

I pray we all choose to listen to Jesus. I pray we read His written Word and spend time in prayer listening. I pray each one of us will choose to make the wise choice for today and eternity. Listen to Jesus. Spend time in prayer listening. Become attuned to communicating with Jesus. Make the wise choice. Build your life upon the Rock.

Matthew 7:26-27 “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Mind of Christ

What does it mean to you to be of the same mind? How do you view others that claim the same faith you do? What do you say about the One you claim to have faith in? Does what you do and say bring glory to Him? Do you ask that God gives you the same mind as Christ?

We all have our viewpoints of who God is, who Jesus is. We also have our opinions of our fellow believers—our brothers and sisters. Do we allow our opinions due to partial understanding derail us? If we are not careful, our poor opinions of one another change our attitude toward Christ.

Whether we recognize it or not, there are connections throughout our community and our world. Those connections are made between us and one person, who then connects to another, who connects to someone else. The connections continue, creating an interweaving of connections. Then we are surprised when we meet someone new who also knows someone we know.

Why am I talking about connections in relation to being of the same mind? It is related to speaking kindly of people. We never know who we may be talking to and who they know that we also know. Not only that, but we are to be of the same attitude toward one another as Christ is. Quite honestly, it boils down to something my grandmother used to say, if you cannot say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.

As the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, he reminds them they are given endurance and encouragement from God. The same God will give us the attitude of Christ if we simply ask. Having the same mind and speaking to the glory of God is God’s desire for us.

I pray we all seek to have the same attitude as Christ. I pray we ask God to give us the same mind. I pray each one of us will seek to glorify God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Ask God to give you the mind of Christ. Seek to give God the glory. Seek to give Christ the glory. Seek to be of the same mind as fellow believers.

Romans 15:5-6 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mindtoward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Strength from God

How hard is it for you to trust? Do you trust inherently? Or do you wait until you get to know someone to trust them? How much do you trust God? Do you trust him at all times? Do you trust God to give you the strength you need during your toughest situations?

Trusting can be hard to do. Especially in today’s world of half-truths, false profiles, and shysters attempting to connive you out of your money. We are wary. We are guarded. We often look for proof of trustworthiness. Finding that proof can be difficult.

Let’s circle back to the question of whether we trust God or not. We have been told of numerous promises made by God. We may have read them ourselves. Do we trust them? Do we trust them all? Do we pray the promises? Do we count on them?

Paul says that God will give us strength until the very end. Do we believe that? Do you notice why? So we may be blameless when Christ returns. We are given strength to stand against evil. We are given strength to carry out God’s plan. We are given strength to serve our community. We are given strength to tell others about Jesus.

Notice Paul states God is faithful. We must understand that he is indeed faithful if we are going to trust him. Knowing God is faithful is the basis for beginning to trust him. God is faithful, even when we are not. As we understand God’s faithfulness, our trust in him increases.

I pray we all trust God. I pray we know that he will give us the strength we need. I pray one of us knows God is faithful and return his faithfulness with our own faithfulness. Trust God. Ask him to give you strength. Ask God to reveal his trustworthiness. Pray the promises of God. Put your faith in God.

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Big Imagination

How big is your imagination? Is it big? Is it really big? Is it gigantic? Do you dream big? Have you considered how big God is? Have you considered that all you see—the stars, trees, animals, people—were all made by him? Have you decided that he can provide everything you need?

Some of us have very active and large imaginations. Some with big imaginations become authors of fantasy books. Some become brilliant painters. Some become entrepreneurs. Some simply allow their imaginations to entertain themselves.

Some of us lack a vivid imagination…and we need to work on it. Why? We need to imagine our God being much larger than we do. We need to stop putting him in a box. We need to allow our imaginations to run wild and see that God is far larger than we can understand.

Notice that Paul tells the church in Ephesus that God is immeasurable in his ability. That means he can do anything and everything. There is nothing we can imagine that God cannot do. Yes, God can walk on water, Jesus did. Yes, God can raise the dead, Jesus was. Yes, God can heal the sick, Jesus did. Yes, God can heal the paralyzed, Jesus healed a man who was lame. Yes, God can save the world from its sin, Jesus did. Yes, God can go to mars, he made it. Yes, God can go to the furthest galaxy, he made it.

What do we do with his magnificence? We worship him. We give him the glory. We give the glory to his church. We give the glory to Jesus Christ. When we truly understand, or at least allow our imaginations to grow far larger than they are, we begin to see just how awesome God is and give him the glory.

I pray we increase our imagination. I pray we allow our imagination to run wild when it comes to God’s abilities. I pray each one of us give God and his church the glory for all that he has done and will do. Imagine big. Imagine beyond your belief. See God in all things. Know that God is bigger than we can imagine. Know God is immeasurable. Give God the glory. Give his church the glory.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Jesus Prays for You

Have you been in a trial and needed strength to get through it? Where did you look to gain the strength you need? Did you turn to a friend? Family? Co-worker? Did you turn to the One who can give you the strength you need at any time? Did you ask God for strength?

At one point or another (or multiple times) during our lives, we all need additional strength. We need a boost from somewhere to help us get through a tough situation. We turn to whomever we trust the most. We may turn to family, friends, or co-workers, depending on the situation.

Being a child of God, we can always turn to God. He will give us the strength we need, even if just enough. We can trust God to get us through whatever we are facing. It is one of many things he does very well. In fact, he longs to come to our aid, but waits until we ask.

Have you considered that Jesus has already prayed for you? Don’t think so? Look at today’s passage. He prayed for Simon Peter. Oh, I know, he was an apostle. He is more important than any of us. Sorry, but that is an incorrect assumption. You see, each one of us is just as important as any other. So, you, I, and any child of God is just as important as Peter. So, if Jesus prayed for Peter, you can bet He has prayed for each one of us.

Isn’t that comforting? Jesus is praying for us. That is exactly what is meant when we are told that Jesus stands before the Father interceding for us. He is praying. He is communing with the Father on our behalf. So, Jesus has already asked that we be given the strength we need, just as He did for Peter. We simply need to recognize that and follow up with our own request for strength. So, pray. Ask God for the strength you need.

I pray we all believe Jesus has and does pray for us. I pray we trust God to give us the strength we need. I pray each one of us will go to God in our time of need and ask for strength to get through whatever situation we are faced with. Trust God. Trust Jesus. Know Jesus intercedes for you. Know that Jesus prays for you. Ask God for the strength you need.

Luke 22:31-32 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

God’s Tapestry

What does it mean to you to be set apart? Have you thought about what it means to be purified? Do you understand what it means to be consecrated? Does being sanctified have an effect on your life? Does it change how you view yourself?

Though most of us know that we have been forgiven of our sin, we may not view ourselves as being consecrated. Though we may be thankful for having been saved, we may not realize we have been set apart by God. We may not understand that we have been purified.

We go through trials in our lives. We may stumble along the way. We may find ourselves in the trenches, covered in the muck and mire of difficult situations. We may feel overwhelmed. We may even think God has abandoned us or ask him where he is at in all the mess. This life can be difficult at times. It can drag us down. That is when we need to pause, take stock in belonging to Christ, and remember that we have been sanctified.

What does it mean to be sanctified? It means we have been made holy. It means God is always with us. It means God cares deeply about us. It means he has claimed us as his own. It means that God continually works on our behalf, even if we cannot always see it.

How are we sanctified? Through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He never leaves us. He is our guide. He is our helper. He is our advocate. And since the Holy Spirit is God as well, he is working in other lives. He weaves us all together like a beautiful tapestry. We are sanctified and part of God’s beautiful tapestry through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I pray we all understand that we belong to God. I pray we know that we have been sanctified. I pray each of us know the Holy Spirit is working within us and for us, creating God’s beautiful tapestry. You have been set apart. You have been purified. You have been consecrated. You have been sanctified. The Holy Spirit is in you. The Holy Spirit is working for you.

1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.