UNITY THE FOCUS OF GOD’S DESIRE

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”—John 17:20-21

 

Sin is a divider.  That is what separated mankind from the Father God in the Garden of Eden, and it has been fracturing relationships ever since.  Adam and Eve had children after they were sent from the Garden of Eden.  The first child born was Cain and then his brother Abel.  In Genesis chapter 4, we find that Cain was a farmer and Abel was a sheep rancher.  At some point, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from what he had harvested, and Abel’s offering was the first-born from the flock of his sheep.  God “respected” Abel’s offering but Cain’s was not. God noticed Cain’s attitude and talked to him about it.  And then to help clarify to us what God meant, we find in Hebrews 11:4 that Abel’s offering was by faith and a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s.   God is a God of faith.  Cain was offering something up to God without faith, and that is why he was corrected.  However, Cain would not receive the correction and ended up killing his brother, Cain (4:1-10).   This was the first recorded violence and the one responsible for Cain’s death was Abel, himself.  It was not the club held in his hands, but the attitude that Cain held in his heart against his brother.  God desired unity and oneness; however, Cain could only think of himself and how he felt.  He dealt with the entire situation according to his emotions.

 

Sin has been separating people and fracturing relationships since the Garden of Eden.  However, it is also the reason God considers reconciliation so very important.  He wants to re-establish an intimate relationship with fallen humanity, and for the church to shine their light for the world to see. 

 

The last time that Jesus prayed for His followers was before going to the cross, and He asked “that they may all be one” as the Father and His Son are one (vs. 21).  Despite the fact that we cannot attain perfect unity with God until we reach heaven, we do have the capacity to walk in humility and harmony with Him by living in obedience to His Holy within us.

 

God desires for us are unity, with one another within His church.  We will always have difference in what we prefer, and how we interpret certain Bible passages, but our common identity as Christians is based on the essential truths of the faith as revealed in God’s Word.  The unity Christ advocates is possible only when each member of His body walks in submission to the Spirit so that together they can achieve the purposes of God and reflect Christ’s character in their behavior. 

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to forgive me for the times that I have not walked in faith and allowed sin to separate us.  I ask You to help me and strengthen me so that I may be One with You as Jesus was, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

 

GOD PROVISION FOR LONELINESS

 “…for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”—Hebrews 13:5

 

People all over the world struggle with loneliness; however human beings were not designed to walk through this world alone.  God said that it was not good for man to be alone so He created him a helper, “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’” (Genesis 2:18).  Loneliness can cripple a person emotionally and spiritually.  We are made for relationship, which God gladly supplies.  

 

Have you ever noticed that throughout Jesus’ life that He would say things like, “I must be about my Father’s business,” and “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working?” (Luke 2:49, John 5:17).   He was the first person that ever called God His Father, and through this we see how His life demonstrated that intimate connection with the Heavenly Father.  The Heavenly Father desires our companionship just like He did in the Garden before the fall.  In the Garden, He called out to Adam and Eve seeking them, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).  God has not changed; He is still seeking those who are separated from Him and feel alone, “For the son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  Only Christ can fill the void of loneliness in your life.  No man, no woman, no child, no object, or animal was ever created to take the place in our hearts that is reserved for God Himself.  He has said, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

 

Although our source of intimate connection is to the Father, He has provided for our need to have emotional support and companionship through people.  The church is designed to meet our need for person-to-person intimacy.  A spiritual body works much like a human body—parts are both independent and interdependent, each needing others in order to function well.  We require support from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Paul admonished people to accept one another, “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God,” bear each other’s burdens, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill he law of Christ,” and avoid judging, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:13). 

 

You may be experiencing the enemy’s pressure of loneliness and isolation; however, the Lord stressed His constant presence because He knows our need for assurance, especially when we feel deserted or isolated (Matthew 28:20; Joshua 1:5).  Even when we feel that we are alone and that no one cares, nothing can compare to drawing near to God “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8).  God wants every believer to completely trust that He is near.  And in case we forget that the Lord is near, He gave the Bible this consistent theme: I love you and I am with you always.  People need one another—Look around you and allow the Holy Spirit to use you to bear another’s burden in some way.  When we help others, our problems do not look as big.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for reminding me that You are with me always.  I ask You to open my eyes to see someone that I can help with the resources that You have given to me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

ONENESS: THE DESIRE OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”—John 17:20-21

 

Sin is a divider.  That is what separated mankind from the Father God in the Garden of Eden, and it has been fracturing relationships ever since.  Adam and Eve had children after they were sent from the Garden of Eden.  The first child born was Cain and then his brother Abel.  In Genesis chapter 4, we find that Cain was a farmer and Abel was a sheep rancher.  At some point, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from what he had harvested, and Abel’s offering was the first-born from the flock of his sheep.  God “respected” Abel’s offering but Cain’s was not. God noticed Cain’s attitude and talked to him about it.  And then to help clarify to us what God meant, we find in Hebrews 11:4 that Abel’s offering was by faith and a more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s.   God is a God of faith.  Cain was offering something up to God without faith, and that is why he was corrected.  However, Cain would not receive the correction and ended up killing his brother, Cain (4:1-10).   This was the first recorded violence and the one responsible for Cain’s death was Abel, himself.  It was not the club held in his hands, but the attitude that Cain held in his heart against his brother.  God desired unity and oneness; however, Cain could only think of himself and how he felt.  He dealt with the entire situation according to his emotions.

 

Sin has been separating people and fracturing relationships since the Garden of Eden.  However, it is also the reason God considers reconciliation so very important.  He wants to re-establish an intimate relationship with fallen humanity, and for the church to shine their light for the world to see. 

 

The last time that Jesus prayed for His followers was before going to the cross, and He asked “that they may all be one” as the Father and His Son are one (vs. 21).  Despite the fact that we cannot attain perfect unity with God until we reach heaven, we do have the capacity to walk in humility and harmony with Him by living in obedience to His Holy within us.

 

God desires for us are unity, with one another within His church.  We will always have difference in what we prefer, and how we interpret certain Bible passages, but our common identity as Christians is based on the essential truths of the faith as revealed in God’s Word.  The unity Christ advocates is possible only when each member of His body walks in submission to the Spirit so that together they can achieve the purposes of God and reflect Christ’s character in their behavior. 

 Prayer—Father I ask You to forgive me for the times that I have not walked in faith and allowed sin to separate us.  I ask you to help me and strengthen me so that I may be One with You as Jesus was, in Jesus Name.  Amen.