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One theme that was a regular for the Apostle Paul was the theme of unity. He knew the people of God had to work together and strive together for the Gospel to penetrate into the minds of hearts of people within every culture. The importance of unity can be observed by paying attention to the number of times Paul uses the word one in this passage…
Ephesians 4:3-6 (NLT) reads, Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
The weight in which Paul addresses unity here, and elsewhere in Ephesians, is an indication that a spirit of disunity may have been at work in the hearts and minds of God’s people. Though we live in a different culture and time period, we are just as susceptible to disunity. As followers of Christ, we must remain diligent and continually remember that Christ has broken down the walls of hostility that separate us (Ephesians 2:14).
READING & PRAYERS:
EPHESIANS 4:1-6, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-26
Who is somebody you’d be uncomfortable inviting over for dinner? What is the wall or barrier that is keeping you separated from living in unity with them?
What may God be inviting you to do in order to recognize He has torn down this barrier?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I recognize there are people in which I struggle to have a deeper relationship with and/or experience unity. Continue to open up my eyes, mind, and heart so that I may not give into the temptation to live in disunity. Instead, help me to fully grasp that the walls of hostility have been broken. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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