We are
throughout scripture instructed and encouraged to strive for the unity of the
faith. Although this is to be done without compromise of the main core tenets
of the faith, it is intended to be a necessary exercise, practiced by all who
profess to follow Jesus. Unity in the faith is achieved through choosing the
bond of peace, the attitude that prioritises others instead of ourselves.
Rivalry and self-ism is inappropriate and dangerous among believers. We are
therefore to make efforts towards a one-mindedness, finding common ground on
which to stand and unite our efforts for the Kingdom. This is not to say that
we are all to be mere ‘rubber-stamp- copies of each other, but rather that we
should all draw closer to the mind of Christ, and in imitating Him, be in fact
nearer in mind, heart and purpose to each other. Like
a team on one side of the rope in a ‘tug-a-war’, though each member grips in a different
place on the rope, yet all pull together, have the same goal and contribute to
the same victory! Being of one mind, still
allows for our personal and individual growth, personality and approach to
various aspects of life, but standardises what we believe, how we respond to
matters regarding Christian living, and what we preach to the lost around us.
One-mindedness causes us to recognise what God is doing with our
fellow-believers and without envy and resentment, and genuinely support the
work they do. When we insist on individuality, personal superiority and
recognition, ahead of keeping ‘one-mind’ humility in the message of Christ, we
will end up in divisions and debates, and the very cause of Christ we uphold
will suffer. There is much to be said for the beauty, peace and harmony that
come from a genuine ‘one-mind’ approach to Christian life. The women mentioned
in our text, though they had possibly co-operated in the work of God, had
probably at some stage, and through circumstances, become estranged. This kind
of distancing places a burden on the body of Christ, for any such division
between brethren of precious like faith, is felt and noticeable. Paul exhorts
them and pleads for differences to be put aside and oneness restored, that
God’s work may be done in a spirit of true unity and love. This is good advice
to all of us believers today!
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
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