11/30/07 [TRUE UNITY] by Stephanie a.k.a. Mrs. MYNISTA

"True Unity" by Stephanie a.k.a. Mrs. MYNISTA

True unity seems to be something that is hard to come
by these days. The Word of God makes it clear how we
are to live as believers in this world that is not our
real home. We are ambassadors for Christ, and as
such, we should live our lives differently. We should
stand out; we should not look and act like the rest of
the world. We should be unified, not just as the Body
of Christ as a whole but also living as part of the
Body in our homes. Our family members who know God
are also our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Bible says the world will be able to recognize us
because of the love that we show towards each other.
This love should start with those closest to us, with
the people that we come in contact with everyday. A
pastor once asked me how could I expect to minister to
anyone else if I couldn’t be a minister, a carrier of
God’s love, in my own home!

Ephesians 4:1-3 says:

1 I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to
and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the
[divine] calling to which you have been called [with
behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's
service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of
mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness,
gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one
another and making allowances because you love one
another.
3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the
harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in
the binding power of peace.

We should strive to live out all of these qualities:
being humble, unselfish, gentle, mild, patient, etc.,
in our home first before we try to reach the rest of
the world. Most people, saved or unsaved, can spot
someone who is not genuine pretty quickly, and if
you’re constantly smiling at everyone else and giving
the “stink eye” to your spouse for example, it won’t
be long before you’ll be labeled a “faker”.

Ephesians 4:2 tells us to make allowances simply
because we love one another. That means cut people
some slack. You’re not perfect and neither is anyone
else! Part of being a member of a family, whether
it’s related through blood or otherwise, is not giving
up on each other and walking in forgiveness.
Remember, God cannot forgive you (His hands are tied
according to His Word) if you refuse to forgive
someone else.

In Ephesians 4:3 we are commanded to guard the unity
we have. Why? Because Satan would love to steal it
from us. No one can upset you like those closest to
you! We need to work hard to guard not only our
hearts but also to be “on the wall” guarding others’
hearts too. That means if you know something that
you’re about to say will only bring division, don’t
say it. We all know what “buttons” to push when we
want to make someone we love mad. It’s at that time
that we must exercise self-control and shut up.

Ephesians 4:3 tells us that peace is a binding power.
When we do our parts to keep the peace, that peace in
our home will in turn keep us bound together. Where
peace is missing so is that binding power, and that’s
when the enemy can come in and tear our families
apart. Don’t be misled...that’s his goal!

Ask God to show you where you can work harder to bring
unity into your home. Ask Him to reveal to you places
where you may be unknowingly giving Satan a foothold.
We can all work harder in keeping the peace, and it’s
when we do our part that those who don’t know God will
be drawn to Him through this aspect of our lives.