Winners & Losers, Part 2

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. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.—Ephesians 4:1-6

Re-read the verse in bold above. That’s the we-can-work-it-out mantra, right? We have got to begin with this basic biblical understanding in order to get through the stuff of life. Without working at unity, we will not see the Kingdom of Christ and have the opportunity it was created for; to reconcile separated people back into relationship with Christ. 

In fact, when Christ died for our sins, we refer to that as the “atonement.” Break the word down . . . at-one-ment. What He did brought and bought us back—and now it’s our job, too.  (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:1 for more on this.)

So do you have it?  This passion for oneness. For unity. For crossing the line together? That’s victory. No winners or losers, but people and marriages and friends working together to attain what God desires. 

This call to unity is so clearly laid out by Paul in Ephesians 4:1-6. While I am certainly not suggesting unity at any cost, I am suggesting that our passion for unity will cause us to go to great lengths to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” 

Are you that kind of follower of Christ? Passionate about unity? 

One of the key obstacles against unity is the major hurdle of our so-called rights. “I have a right to a lawyer, a right to remain silent.” “I won’t tolerate that kind of treatment.” “I won’t let them get away with that.”

I, I, I. It’s the letter right in the middle of sin.

Let’s work on working it out. Let’s put down the “I”, the winner’s goal. And pick up God’s, the one, the us, the we, the one perspective for resolving our problems and experiencing reconciliation. 

We can do this. The world is watching. Relinquish your rights. Don’t think about winners and losers. Think about the bride of Christ maintaining fidelity and oneness to Him and to one another. 

Let’s work it out. Will you? —Joel Anderson

Journal :

·         Am I drawing from God’s vision for unity in ALL of my relationships both in and out of the church?

·         Why are my rights so important to me? What does this tell me about my faith in God’s ability to handle any circumstance for me?

Prayer – Father in heaven, help me again today to choose to trust You with my relationships. Give me a vision of Your kind of unity, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all work together in perfect unity for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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