The Benefits of Unity
Theme of the week: Racial Unity: It's Worth the Effort
Friday, January 25, 2013
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Key Bible Verse: "I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me." (John 17:21) Dig Deeper: John 17:20-23
[In today's Key Bible Verse and Dig Deeper,] Jesus places a tremendous emphasis on his desire for his followers to be one. This isn't something he is asking us to do only during "Unity Month" or on "Special Oneness Sunday." This is a mandate from our Commander in Chief.
A benefit of oneness, as we see in [John 17:21-23], is letting the world know about the King under whom we serve. All of the praying, preaching, worship, or Bible studies in the world can never bring about the fullest possible manifestation of God's presence like functioning in a spirit of oneness in the body of Christ.
An additional benefit of oneness is found in the Old Testament passage penned by David:
"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore" (Ps. 133:1-3, NIV).
Unity is where the blessing of God rests, coming down from heaven covering everything.
—Tony Evans in Oneness Embraced
My Response: In what ways do I believe God blesses the unity of believers? What role might God be calling me to play in bringing about those blessings?
Thought to Apply: We cannot expect the world to believe that … Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of oneness of true Christians.—Francis Schaeffer (writer, Christian apologist)
Adapted from Oneness Embraced (Moody, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.
Copyright © 2013 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Dear Heavenly Father, open my eyes to areas of racial and cultural insensitivity in my life; show me what steps I need to take to model racial reconciliation and unity in my church and community.
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