PSALM 133:1-3 – Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

THEME OF THE DAY. A REALLY, REALLY BIG DEAL. Unity among God’s people is a big deal. A really, really, really big deal. Not only does it ensure the Lord’s blessing as stated in today’s scripture, but pay close attention to the Lord praying for our unity and why it is so important -The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (John 17:22-23). Two things we gain about unity’s importance from the Lord.

First, it is a direct reflection of the unity of the Godhead – The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one. The next time we are tempted to get upset in the Body of Christ by allowing personal hurts to break fellowship or feel ignored by Christians, then distancing ourselves from them which also breaks unity, stop and think what we are doing. We are bringing dishonor to the Godhead who are in perfect unity. Instead of modeling what Jesus prays for, we are actually going against what He prays for. Shake at the thought of such and then strive to not let personalities and personal pain keep our Lord’s prayer from being answered. But here is something to also remember. Unity doesn’t just happen. We are God’s children who still sin. We still hurt one another. We still are prone to being self-centered which is the recipe for disunity. Commit to the work of unity described by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesus church – I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). Look what he says – eager to maintain unity, with patience, bear with one another. These are necessary Spirit-empowered attitudes and actions we must do. To neglect any opens the door to a church living in Holy Spirit grieved and quenched disunity and their witness is tarnished, if not ruined.

Another thing we learn about the importance the Lord places upon unity in His prayer is the impact of our witness to the world of Him, the Father, and their Gospel – I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Don’t miss this. Our impact on our culture for the Lord is directly enhanced by our unity or severely hindered by disunity. And let me add a warning here if we are individuals prone to be critical, judgmental, and see more what is wrong in Christians and churches than God’s grace in Christians and churches. Those attitudes destroy the credibility of the Gospel. Imagine being a professing Christian but fostering disunity and preventing us from fulfilling the mission we are still on the earth to accomplish. By the way, we may be the cause of disunity without saying a word. Just harbor a sour heart toward other believers, and the God who searches hearts, sees this as disunity.

Unity. It is a big deal, a really big deal to the Lord. May it be so with us as well. There is a lot at stake if disunity is lodged in a heart and church.

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I am more the cause of disunity among Your people than a loving force for unity.”

QUOTE: “Besides being lukewarm, the worst thing the Lord could ever see in us is disunity among His sheep.”