Unity

I Cor. 1:4

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.

 

Why should I be thankful for the body of Christ?

• To those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. Believers are indwelled by the same Jesus Christ. Through Him we are all sanctified and called saints. How could any believer be anything but thankful for another believer since the same Lord and Savior is in both of them. All believers are both sanctified and called saints by the same Lord they both share.
• ...because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus. All believers share a common grace that is also because of Jesus Christ. It is His grace that has become our new life. Apart from it, we could not live for Christ at all since our salvation and sanctification is not built on our works or performance but on Christ's great gift of grace.
• That in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and knowledge...The same Lord has enriched our speech and our knowledge so that everything we say and understand is because of Him. Since this is true can our speech be anything but glorifying to God especially in respect to other believers.
• you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ... Even those our gifts our different in kind they are not different in source so one gift is not better than other and should give no cause for disunity. We all wait for the blessed hope, for the revealing of Jesus Christ.
• God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We all have the same faithful God who has called each one of us into the fellowship of His Son. In the fellowship of the Son there should be no discord. He is our Lord, Savior, and Master.

Amazingly as I read and write about this passage, I think of those who are outside my home or family. But in truth, if my family including my husband is a believer, then all these things are true about Him as well.

 

Father,

Give me a heart of unity and love that never allows even for a moment of critical spirit. Keep my eyes focused on You and You alone in every situation.

In Jesus name,

Amen