Galatians 3:23-28 (NRSVUE)
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be reckoned as righteous[a] by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Unity
Unity is not an abstract idea destined to be fulfilled only in heaven or in the new heaven and new earth. No, it is possible to walk in unity to bring a change to circumstances in this life. We know that where 2 or 3 are gathered together, God is in the midst. That is unity. Where 2 or 3 are on one accord, agreeing to support each other, agreeing to be accountability partners, prayer partners, cheerleaders, and truth tellers, God is in the midst. We accomplish more together than apart.
When Nehemiah built the wall, that effort required unity. Working together gets things done. We are commanded to walk in unity to spread the Gospel, to meet the needs of those who are our neighbors, to live in harmony, and to love each other.
Disarray and discord produce ineffective results. With a lack of harmony we become separated from our connection with each other. Our enemies have been using the tactic of divide and conquer since the beginning of time. However, when we come together great change for good happens.
Let us pray for unity as we struggle to find common ground. Pray for peaceful resolutions to difficult situations. Ask God to intervene when strife rears its’ ugly head in attempts to cause discord.
Let us pray for the peacemakers. Pray for those fighting powerful human institutions that over hundreds of years have contributed to immense pain. Pray for those who are reflecting on whether to be peaceful or whether to instigate war.
Peace is of God. Unity is of God. Discord is not of God. Let us Pray.
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