DAY 4: What stops you from pursuing unity?
Read: Psalm 133, Acts 2:41-47, Acts 4:32, Romans 14:17-18
Not many people are consciously against the idea of unity. We vote for people who promise to bring unity. We sing songs about unity and give awards to those who work toward unity.
So if we can agree that unity is important, what keeps us from pursuing it in our own lives?
The answer is embedded in the question. Unity doesn’t just happen. It takes an ongoing active pursuit. Unity will require us to take risks, enter uncomfortable situations, and face the possibility of getting hurt. Unity takes transparency and “bearing with another.”
Acts 2:42 says the first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Sounds like a sweet gathering of friends and family, right?
Well, the people in the early church weren’t all Jewish, and they probably weren’t from the same neighbourhoods. Yet, they opened their homes to each other. They shared what they had, and they welcomed teaching and correction. They didn’t stumble upon unity by accident, they pursued it. And as they worked as a unit, building solid friendships and relationships, and God rewarded them by working mightily through them.
“Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles … And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Fear, pride, and hopelessness will always talk us out of pursuing unity. We’ll second guess the decision to reach out or to have a hard conversation because we fear what the other person will think. Instead of taking a step in, we’ll tell ourselves, “I can do this on my own.” Or, we’ll stop pursuing unity before we start, assuming, “It’ll never work. Why even bother?”
Unity doesn’t come easy. But if we’ll accept the challenge and push through the awkwardness, like the early church, we might see God move in miraculous ways.
Reflect:
- How many of your friends are different from you?
- What, if anything, do you find scary about building relationships or getting to know new people?
- Has there been a time when you talked yourself out of pursuing a friendship? What did God teach you through that experience?
Pray:
Lord, You have not called me to be a lone-ranger or an island. In the same way that the Godhead lives in unity and constant fellowship, You have made me for relationship. So, God, please help me to build solid friendships. Like Jesus, I want people I can count on and share my life with. Show me these people and help me to do the hard work of living in fellowship with others. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.