United in the Holy Spirit

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT

 

Here is Paul again appealing to the church at Ephesus to know that God has chosen them and they need to live a good life—united together in the Holy Spirit. It is important for the church to be unified—united in their devotion to the Lord and to each other—as they serve God. It’s important—but it is NOT what all churches do. People within church are just human and quite frankly we all are usually selfish individuals that always feel that our way is “right”—that we are right. Is that a self-righteous attitude? It is an attitude that causes division in the church—limits trust in each other and in God. Paul is teaching that we need to be humble and gentle—keys to humility that allows walls to break down and people to be united. That gives me hope. Jesus—as revealed by the Holy Spirit—gives hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Where do you find hope? Do you find hope in unity with other Christians as you seek the Lord together?    

Prayer ~ Holy Spirit, help me to humble myself and gently approach other Christians with an attitude that creates unity as we seek to know God better.

 

© 2015 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

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