April 14Ephesians 4:1-16Unity in the Body of Christ
"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."
In this section of Paul's letter, he shows how God intends for those in the church to live and work together in unity and to grow together in maturity. What wonderful guidance for us as a church family.
Our church is incredibly diverse. We come from different parts of the world, from different faith backgrounds, are at different stages of our lives, work in different fields, live in different towns, and have quite different political perspectives. Yet, we are united in Christ - we are one family on a marvelous faith journey together because of Christ.
In sports, in business, and in our beloved church, I have personally experienced what incredible things can be accomplished when diverse groups are unified by a common goal and work together as a team. Most recently, "Ignite the Spirit" and "Spaghetti for the Soul" demonstrated yet again what we can do when we try to follow Paul's guidance in the verses above. I must say that when I am in Worship, or committee meetings, or social events with you, my brothers and sisters, I get a sense of hope, love, joy, and peace - the Holy Spirit among us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to be humble, gentle, patient, and to love one another. We pray that we can maintain the unity of the Spirit so that we can fulfill our mission to be the body of Christ and glorify God in the Matawan area and throughout the world. Amen.
Jerry Godbehere |
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