Me: Look at all those tasty treats!
Prodigal: Yes, there are different ones to choose from but they all look tasty.
Me: I might need a minute to figure out which one I am going to get.
Prodigal: Lets sit over there while we decide.
Today I am sharing about Unity. Charles Swindoll describes it best in his book Hope Again When Life Hurts and Dreams Fade.
The first checkpoint is unity: “Let all be harmonious.” This refers to a oneness of heart, a similarity of purpose, and an agreement on major points of doctrine.
Please remember, this quality is not the same as uniformity, where everyone must look alike and think alike, form identical convictions and prefer the same tastes. That’s what I call a cracker-box mentality. Peter isn’t promoting uniformity. Nor is he referring to unanimity, where there is a 100 percent agreement on everything. And it is not the same as union, where there is an affiliation with others but no common bond that makes them one at heart.
The secret to this kind of harmony is not to focus on petty peripheral differences but to concentrate on the common ground of Jesus Christ–His model, His message, and His mission.
I am not better than anyone else. In fact I need a lot of help in ways that you are different then me. I have a friend who is dear to me and she likes to make things perfect. I think we work well together. She makes sure I don’t miss any of the details that I would overlook and I make sure that she does not spend to long on a project trying to make it be beyond perfect. If we were the same then we would not appreciate this difference and enjoy the benefits of this difference. Where we are the same though is that she loves Jesus and believes in His mission and so do I. So friend will you join me in the wonderful mission of Christ and display His glory to others?
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
