Unity

Unity is a theme dear to God's heart. He created the earth with symmetry and a flow of life that fits together: animals eat plants, man eats animals, man becomes fertilizer for plants. None is left out.

In Himself there is unity. The Father loves the Son, the Son serves the Father, the Spirit makes Father and Son known to us. There's unity in that.

In the Body of Christ we were created for unity as well. Some have one gift, others another. All have a gift and have their place within the Body. Some serve, some enlighten, but none are left out, and all are to participate. When one person holds back on the gift they've been given, this unity is disrupted. The chain of edification is altered and disunity arises.

Even in suffering we are designed to be unified. "When one part suffers, all suffer with it." We are unified with this, and we are unified in God's heart with this.

Unity is important to God, or else the author that penned, "As far as it is up to you, do everything to maintain the unity of the Spirit," was sharing a falsehood of what's important to God.

So how do we maintain unity? We stay in touch with God's heart, loving what He loves, avoiding what He hates. His Spirit will lead us in this, as well as the Word.

We practice our gifts edifying one another. Use what we've been given to build into others and we'll find we're built into as well.

Pray for one another. By praying for God's will to be done in each other's lives we're practicing love, we're maintaining unity.

And, finally, love one another with the love that only comes from God. Without the love, unity will be destroyed.