United


"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Ephesians 4:3-6

As my girls were making their way through the soccer ranks growing up, I noticed that many of the soccer clubs included the word, "United". It's a name that casts a vision for the members of that team. Teams experiencing unity are often times experiencing success. Teams where disunity is the culture rarely experience success. 

It's no surprise that Paul would so emphatically press the charge of unity to this church. After all, Jesus himself said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Paul lays out many of the key foundation stones upon which the unity of all Jesus followers is based. That's quite a list! If we focus our time and energy there, we have nothing left to fuel our differences.

So, why do our differences make headlines? Why do our churches continually face fracture and disharmony? Why do we immediately assess people according to our personal preferences and comfort levels? Why do our relational puzzles have so many missing pieces? Unfortunately, unity has become an idea not an experience. Thankfully, with God's help, our future together can have a very different story line -- united.

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