“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:23
What do you suppose would be a key ingredient for a successful business, sports team or even a family?
How about unity?
Stop for just a moment and consider a football team where every player has their own agenda and only plays to bring glory to themselves; how many games do you suppose they would win? Certainly fewer than if each member of the team had a specific role and, for the sake of that teams success, executed their tasks as a member of that team.
How about a business full of ambitious individuals with no thought for the goals of that corporation? While it may produce a superstar or two it certainly could not expect the type of bottom line profits needed for long term success.
Finally what of the family where there is no combined efforts to complete chores but it all falls on the shoulders of just one person? Imagine the resentment that would create instead of fostering cooperation.
Every endeavor in life that is undertaken by more than one individual will have better success when those individuals learn to work in unity. Jesus emphasized its importance for the church as He prayed in John 17.
He prayed, that as His followers, we would be brought to complete unity. Imagine the impact that will have in the world? When we set aside our own purposes and step into His purposes individually and corporately. If you think it is a work of the Holy Spirit you are right; but that does not imply we are free to selfishly move forward in our own plans and wait for the ‘magic wand’ of the Holy Spirit to suddenly bring us into unity.
Lay down your own interests, surrender your will to His and pray for the body of Christ to come together in the unity of the Holy Spirit!
John 17:23
What do you suppose would be a key ingredient for a successful business, sports team or even a family?
How about unity?
Stop for just a moment and consider a football team where every player has their own agenda and only plays to bring glory to themselves; how many games do you suppose they would win? Certainly fewer than if each member of the team had a specific role and, for the sake of that teams success, executed their tasks as a member of that team.
How about a business full of ambitious individuals with no thought for the goals of that corporation? While it may produce a superstar or two it certainly could not expect the type of bottom line profits needed for long term success.
Finally what of the family where there is no combined efforts to complete chores but it all falls on the shoulders of just one person? Imagine the resentment that would create instead of fostering cooperation.
Every endeavor in life that is undertaken by more than one individual will have better success when those individuals learn to work in unity. Jesus emphasized its importance for the church as He prayed in John 17.
He prayed, that as His followers, we would be brought to complete unity. Imagine the impact that will have in the world? When we set aside our own purposes and step into His purposes individually and corporately. If you think it is a work of the Holy Spirit you are right; but that does not imply we are free to selfishly move forward in our own plans and wait for the ‘magic wand’ of the Holy Spirit to suddenly bring us into unity.
Lay down your own interests, surrender your will to His and pray for the body of Christ to come together in the unity of the Holy Spirit!
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