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Christ’s Prayer: Perfect Unity

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?

Is everyone shouting a resounding Yes to these questions? Yes, there is much encouragement and comfort in belonging to Christ and knowing His love! Yes, there is a special fellowship with other believers beyond human, earthly connection. Yes, Jesus invades my heart and makes it tender and compassionate! Yes! Life in Christ is good, comforting, exciting, extraordinary, awesome, grand.

Good. Glad to hear all that enthusiasm. Now here’s the next step:

Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, working together with one mind and purpose.

Oh. Well, this part isn’t quite that easy. You know how many different personalities we have, just sitting in one pew on Sunday morning? Take a look at how many pews there are in our sanctuary! In such a gathering of human beings, surely there will be disagreements and differing opinions. Surely there will be some conflict and dissension.

Do you suppose that is why Jesus prayed so fervently for His followers before leaving this earth? Repeatedly, He asked the Father to bring them to a perfect unity. Was He thinking about how easily we humans fall to bickering, squabbles, selfishness, and grabbing for power or position? Even while He was with the disciples, some arguing occurred among them. What would happen once He was no longer physically with them?

As we read His prayer in John 17, it’s very clear that Jesus’ desire is that His followers work in a unity that makes the world sit up and take notice.

“May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

Unity of the believers is key to Christ’s mission in this world! How we live with other children of God tells the world much about Christ and God’s love. This is so important to the work of Christ in this world, how can we shrug it off as too idealistic or try to sidestep the issue and say ‘It’s just not possible’?

Yes, the church brings together many different personalities. Yes, even within the church, we all still struggle with our sinful nature. Yes, bringing this many people together under one roof is bound to be fertile ground for disagreement and conflict.

But we have come together under Christ’s roof. We are connected by one Spirit. We have one mission. We have one head.

The Philippians verse asking us to agree wholeheartedly is most often translated as being likeminded. It doesn’t mean we always have the same opinion; but it does mean we work together with one mind and one purpose. Think of a good marriage you’ve observed (maybe your own?). Do spouses always think alike on all issues? Of course not. But they are one-minded in that they are both devoted to the marriage. And that commitment rules how they treat each other.

In the same way, Paul says we have all been called to work at one purpose, and to accomplish that we will need to love each other and take on one mind, the attitude of Christ, our head who rules the body.

Paul goes on to describe Christ’s attitude, one of total humility. He was God, yet he gave up His divine privileges. He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on the cross . (verse 8)

I really believe there is no magic wand that a pastor can wave over his flock to bind them together in perfect unity. The key lies with each one of us, in our hearts and minds, in our commitment to Christ’s mission on this earth.

Take a look. Paul follows that verse on being likeminded and working together with a verse that is aimed at each individual. He says:

Don’t be selfish;
don’t try to impress others.
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves,
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Hits home, doesn’t it?

What would humbling yourself in obedience to God look like in your life right now, in whatever situation you find yourself today? You probably won’t have to die as a criminal, as Jesus did.

But you may have to act in love towards someone you’d rather dislike. (That means patience, kindness, no pride or rudeness, always hopeful, persevering, not easily ticked off, not keeping accounts of wrongs.)

You may have to admit that your reluctance to support a certain program or person in your church rises from purely selfish motives.

You might have to take the first step in healing a relationship.

You will most surely have to bite your tongue more than once.

For every conflict and disagreement, every minor irritation and every huge discord that occurs in the body of Christ, the bottom line seems to be that each of us must honestly ask the Spirit for insight to see what is ruling our feelings, thoughts, speech, and actions. Is it selfishness, a desire to impress, a desire to be “right”? Or is it the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who prayed so fervently for oneness of mind and passion in His disciples?

Is it ME who determines what I say and do today, or is it the Spirit?

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Scripture: from Philippians 2 and John 17

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How’s It Going?

So, how was your week? Or, if you’re reading this in the evening, how was your day? Or here’s a bigger question: How’s your life going?

Many times we answer such queries with automatic, unthinking, unsatisfying replies like Fine, or Could have been better, or The usual.

If you do try to answer such a question honestly, how do you measure your answer? In the privacy and frankness of your own thoughts, how do you evaluate your day, your week, or your life? When you go to bed tonight, what will determine whether you’re thinking, ‘It’s been a good day’ or ‘I’m so glad today is over’?

 

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

 

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul models a vision I want to grow into. His life has not been easy; as he writes this letter, he’s sitting in jail. Yet he says, “Everything that has happened to me has helped to spread God’s message.”

 

I am so myopic. (I just had to use this word today, because it fits so perfectly what the Spirit has been showing me.) Myopic, literally, means short-sighted. If you suffer from myopia, you can only see things close to you, anything at a distance is only a blur.

But just look at the word for a minute: myopic. MY view. MY sight. MY vision. MY. MY. MY. Looking through eyes that are focused by me, my, mine, makes me able to see very little of God’s big goals and His long-range purpose for my days and my life. When I’m caught in this MY-opia, I can see only things close to ME.

If I think a day has gone horribly wrong, it’s usually because whatever has transpired that day has not met MY expectations, MY desires. How can I shift my focus from my own goals to God’s? How can I set my sights on God’s plan and His mission?

Paul has gained that perspective. Events in his new career as a missionary surely haven’t gone quite as he would have planned. Yet he looks at his life through a lens of faith that God uses everything to achieve His purpose (reminds me of Romans 8:28).

Paul writes, a few paragraphs later, For me, living means living for Christ (verse 21). His measures his life, not by the struggles and pain and disappointments on a personal level, but by whether or not Christ’s mission has moved forward.

Will I ever grow into such sight, Father? I want to see beyond my own little life, my own agenda, my own wishes and goals!

 

I read further in the chapter and find several antidotes, a few hints on lessening the myopia:

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven … you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News … For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together.

First, live as citizens of heaven. I don’t know what that statement did to you, but it changed my focus immediately. Perhaps I’ll have to tape it to my mirror and read it aloud every day. It instantly rearranges my goals, gives me new perspective on what happens on a ME level today. I am the daughter of a King who has said He is going to achieve His purposes, no matter what. No matter what! Remember who are you, child of God!

Second, we stand with others in one spirit and one purpose, to fight together for the mission of Christ. Doesn’t this also lessen our clutching hold on our own small agenda and desires for our fleeting time here? We are part of the huge mission of Christ — reconciling the world to God!

Third, we have been given the privilege of suffering. Now, I admit, this is the hardest one for me. I don’t claim to understand this. Like most people, I have a knee-jerk reaction that wants to avoid suffering. Yet I am beginning to learn that suffering brings something deep and rich to faith that will not be found in any other place. I know I am only scratching the surface here, and it’s a profound secret that most of us have yet to discover. Sounds foolish to say, Bring on the suffering! But I have a suspicion that suffering will in turn bring me things I long for …

So, how was your week?

　

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Scripture: Philippians 1:12-14, 21, 27, 29-30 (NLT)

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Power for Hopeless Cases … for God’s Glory

Just finished reading Levi’s Will, a novel by W. Dale Cramer. In one scene, Will asks his boss and best friend, Barefoot, what God wants of us. Barefoot’s reply is, “Beats me,” but we get the feeling that he knows …

As they sit by the pond with a fishing pole, Will’s wife brings them both iced tea. Will takes a sip and promptly spits it out; she has not put sugar in his tea because he must alter his diet since his heart attack. Barefoot enjoys his drink; his has the usual large dose of sugar.

As the discussion goes on, Barefoot takes Will’s almost full glass of tea and pours some of it into his own half-empty glass. Then he pours part of it back into Will’s glass; and then again pours into his own. Back and forth he pours, until both men are enjoying glasses of sweetened, good tea.

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

In the same way that Barefoot pours his sweetened tea into Will’s, mixes it and changes it, so the Spirit teaches us, leads us step by step into greater knowledge and understanding. The fruits of the Spirit become more and more evident in our lives, as Jesus Christ’s Spirit begins to produce in us His own character. 

This is God’s agenda in our lives. His plan is to give us a new life, one that takes on the very character of Christ. If you see nothing else in the Scripture above, remember this phrase: the righteous character produced by Jesus Christ.

We can’t produce it ourselves. For a long time, I thought this was what being a Christian was all about:  I must do this, I must not do that, I’ve got to be more of this, less of that. And I was a colossal failure at producing that character. Doing it on my own was pretty much hopeless. I was that undrinkable tea.

Instead, the character and the fruit it produces come from a new life birthed in us by the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit sustains and molds that life. He is the one who produces the fruit. Jesus pours more and more of His own character into each child who has been adopted into the family of God.

Is it so difficult to believe that the Spirit of God lives within you and is changing you? 

You believe and understand that this happens on a human level. Within hours of a child’s birth, people are looking for Daddy’s dimples or Mom’s eyes or Big Sister’s nose. We take it further than the physical; we say that “He has his dad’s business savvy” or “She’s got her grandfather’s gumption” or “She has her mother’s sweet disposition.”

God birthed a new life in us by planting His Spirit within. Scriptures say we are born of the Spirit. He’s brought us into His family, and He intends to make us like the Son of God.

(Just wondering — Do we look for “family” characteristics showing up in other children of God? Or are we so preoccupied with recalling an old life that God says is dead and gone that we can’t see and encourage the new in others and in ourselves?)

Yes, there is still something “I” must do — I must throw open all of myself to the power of the Holy Spirit. And then what He does with all of us “hopeless” cases is amazing.

The new life and character we exhibit bring glory and praise to the Lord of all Creation. Of course!  We cannot fix ourselves; we cannot produce a new character no matter how hard we try; we are pretty much hopeless left on our own. But God, working in us, can do all of that … more than we can even imagine.   

As Jesus pours Himself into us and His Spirit leads us step by step into truth, we start looking more and more like the One who is Truth. 

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Scripture: Philippians 1:9-11 (NLT)

 

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Remaining IN Truth

My head’s been all tied up lately pondering questions of the ages: What is truth? How can we be certain of truth? How does anyone know truth?

You know, easy little questions like that, with neat and tidy answers! And so I offer a short little post as I think about this …

What does Jesus say about these questions?

He says He is truth. He says that those who believe in Him will know the truth and the truth will set them free.

Those statements are so huge that I believe we will always be learning what He means; for all of our lives, we’ll be growing toward understanding this.

But the one sure thing is that if we want to know truth and the freedom it brings, we must stay so closely connected to Christ that we are, to use His word, in the truth.

Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

Remaining “in” each other. What a connection! The relationship Jesus wants with us goes beyond just “following” Him, even “believing” in Him. I’m not denying those are legitimate words to describe our faith; I am just awed by the depth of relationship Jesus is describing when He uses the word in. We are so deeply connected to Him that the life running through the Vine also sustains and gives life to the branch. One is in the other.

His Spirit, living within us, gives us that life. Jesus promises that the Spirit leads us to truth and gives us freedom. A promise so big that I cannot grasp all it means … and yet, I want to live it!

So my prayer is that the Spirit opens our eyes, just one step, one day at a time, to grow in our understanding of truth. 

There are so many discussions going on in the church today questioning what truth is. Perhaps it’s useless to ask that age-old question before each one of us asks whether we are firmly in the Vine. Does He flow freely through every part of us?

May we keep on growing and understanding.

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Scripture: John 15:4 (NLT)

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Hope for Gray Mornings

A meditation written on a July morning in Stonington, Maine —

　

On some days, we look through our morning window and see the islands dotting the bay. Beautiful and green, they lay scattered across the sea as though God took a handful of rocks and skipped them across the water. Some are covered in jagged pine; others are no more than rocky outcroppings reaching upward out of the sea. On these mornings, we can see to the horizon, where sparkling water meets the sky. The air is clear, every color crisp and shining.

Then there are times when a huge bank of fog rolls across the bay, swallowing up the islands as it invades this fishing harbor and little village. The islands disappear. We see nothing beyond the few dories tied up at the dock. Dull sky and sea are the same color and meld into one curtain that restricts our view and eradicates the horizon.

Later — sometimes in only minutes, sometimes in days — the fog seems to tire of its visit and the grayness rolls out to sea again, leaving the harbor clear, the moored lobster boats shining in sunlight, and the islands brilliantly green against a blue sky.

The fog is part of the rhythm of life here at the edge of the sea.

And just as the islands and horizon sometimes fade and vanish into grayness but other times swell into view sharp and clear and breathtaking, the views from our spiritual windows disappear and reappear.

Sometimes, we see clearly, we are certain, we have no doubts. Our belief is firm and glimpses of the eternal horizon take our breath away.

And then there are the days when we peer into mistiness, when our views are shortened, and all we know for a certainty is the Rock under our feet.

The psalmist had those days, too. The songs and poetry of Psalms are full of cries to God. “God, I cannot see you! My enemies are going to defeat me! Where are you? Why do you wait so long to help me? Have you forgotten about me?”

When the fog rolls over your harbor, when islands and horizon disappear from sight, and when there seems to be nothing but impenetrable grayness, believe what God has said to His children. Even when you can see nothing, the Lord’s love rests always upon you, and He hears those who cry out to Him.

But the LORD watches over those who fear him,
     those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death
     and keeps them alive in times of famine.

We put our hope in the LORD.
      He is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,
     for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD,
     for our hope is in you alone.

No matter how heavy the fog in your harbor this hour, the islands are still there and will appear again! Green, solid, beautiful, they come back into view, and the waters of the bay shimmer toward the horizon.

God, in all His goodness and love, still holds you, and He continues to work even though your sight may not be clear. Whether the harbor beset by fog is a troubled relationship, the heart of someone you pray for, or your own heart, He will accomplish His purposes. Stand on that rock.

The LORD will work out his plans for my life —
     for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.

 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

… the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.  (emphasis added)

You have been chosen as a child of God. He holds your life in His hands and He will never abandon you. He has a purpose for your life and He is at work, even though you cannot see further than the Rock on which you stand.

We put our hope in you, O LORD. Help our unbelief in gray hours.

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Scripture:  Psalm 33:18-22; Psalm 138:8; Philippians 1:6; Proverbs 19:21; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11 (all NLT)  

Photo: Ethel Miller