No greater truth has been told regarding the success of man than to understand that in unity we find our strength and in division, we find our defeat. Henry Ford is quoted as saying “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is a success.” Currently, our country is experiencing a time of division similar to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The rhetoric and anger continue to grow and divides our country daily.
As Christians, we must ask ourselves, “What does the Bible say about unity?” Scripture tells us “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) Unity is a common topic in the Bible, promoting the peacefulness of living unified in harmony. The Bible calls us to walk in unity. As 1 Peter 3:8 states, “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” We are called to be in unity with all followers of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:10, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” We are also called to have unity in the spirit as mentioned in Ephesians 4:3, “ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” God requires us to love one another and work together to further the gospel. Surprisingly, that has not been the case.
There has been division not only in the world but also in our houses of worship. We all must take a good look at our actions and reactions. We must ask ourselves if we measure up to what God expects of His children. God created us all equal. Romans 2:11 tells us, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” I know that each one of us has our own set of ideas and opinions concerning things that are going on in the world. Also, it is important to hear different perspectives and share our experiences. However, this must not result in us being disrespectful or contentious towards each other. If we come to a place of disagreement, we should pray to have hearts of understanding and compassion. Compassion is defined as the feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is hurting, in pain, or has misfortune, and is accompanied by a strong desire to help the suffering. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of true compassion. Not only did Jesus have compassion and heal people from physical suffering, but He also showed the greatest act of compassion when He died on the cross for our sins.
Compassion is a true mark of Christian character. Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” We have so much work to do as the people of God. We are to share the Gospel message of hope and redemption through the blood-bought sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But as stated in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, except they agree?” We must conclude that our goal is to show the love of Christ and imitate His example here on earth. This goal supersedes anything else that may try to cause division among us. When we are focused on doing Kingdom work, we must remember what Jesus stated in Matthew 12:25. After He perceived their thoughts, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
We are all in this together. We are all hurting and doing our best to get through this. If God is for us, who can be against us? We can. We can be against each other and continue to tear each other apart, or we can decide to be about our Father’s business and make the devil out to be a liar. We can choose to work together in unity and with a spirit of peace. We are always better when we work together. I know we have some tough challenges to get through, but we can do this. We must do this. As God chose Israel to be His example before all the nations, He has called us to be the same. We were born for such a time as this. God has given us everything we need to rise to the occasion. So, let us put all the bitterness and divisiveness aside and do what we are supposed to do. We must be who we were created to be. Although we are all very different, we are also alike in so many ways. 1 Corinthians 12:12 sums it up best, “ For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”
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