While it’s not always easy to get a group of people to agree on something, it usually can be done. After all, agreements are mutually beneficial. You might not get everything you want, but you’ll probably get a lot closer than you would have on your own.

Unity, however, is an entirely different beast. I might have found an amicable agreement with you, but it doesn’t mean we’re unified. Merriam-Webster defines unity as “the quality or state of not being multiple : oneness.” To be unified we would have to agree on more than just one or two issues. No, for us to be truly unified our vision for everything would have to be aligned.

This morning Jon Brown of Word of Life discusses how Christ’s mission was to bring unity to humanity. Christian unity can only be had when we decide to put others before ourselves:

Unity is more than agreement. Agreement is nice. It makes life much easier when people agree on things like the style of worship, or the Sunday school curriculum, or what to look for in the next pastor. But Christian unity is more than just reaching agreement. It comes only when we are willing to put others before ourselves. In this we follow Jesus’ example. He prayed for it, died for it, and rose from the dead to accomplish it. He will come again to usher in full unity. Until that great day, we affirm in the words of the Belhar Confession that God’s heart for unity “must be manifested and be active in a variety of ways.” We must work toward the unity we know is coming.

Have you ever experienced unity with a group of people? What was it like? How does your church work towards unity?

By: Chris. This entry was posted on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 11:25 am and is filed under community, Devotional, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.