Unity

Unity among God's people, with Him in the center of that unity is one of the most pleasing things to God. God is a Father, and as a parent myself, I know when my kids are getting along, and care about what I care about, our house is blessed!


Those who were held up by God as leaders in the most intense times understood this concept and lived it out...humbling themselves to maintain unity. Moses, David, Nehemiah, Esther, Paul...these men and women lived in intense times of fierce opposition to God's purposes and plans, yet they were successful in leading God's people to safety and forward in God's ultimate purposes. They all understood this concept:


Psalms 133:1-3 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.


Unity causes God to "command a blessing!" Unity among God's children is pleasant for the kids, but it is Dad who is most blessed by this kind of agreement. Where there is unity, God's family has a chance to see the Father's vision of where we are all headed in one accord. If you have ever tried to move a family anywhere, whether it was changing houses or going away for the weekend, when the kids won't get along, when they are self-focused, nothing about the process is enjoyable. The Stolz family has pulled out the driveway more than once with no one even talking to each other simply because my boys wouldn't take a minute to consider each other's feelings and the trouble spread. Discord spreads through a family quickly. It is kind of like dominos. One weak moment causes one person to fall into selfishness, and that fall exposes weakness in another...pretty soon all the dominos are down, no longer standing together.


Unity spreads too, though. One person's choice to consider themselves lower than others strengthens the whole group. Whether we say it or not, we all pretty much recognize and are humbled ourselves by witnessing humility in another. Even a person's act of humility on a movie screen or tv show is enough to give us pause, or even make us cry. Humility is powerful.


Humility requires faith and faith requires humility. Humility is simply recognizing what I bring to the table and what God brings, and agreeing with God. Humility is really only possible when I have faith that God has my best future in mind and that He keeps His promises. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear says I have to establish myself, that is is all on me, that I must control the situation because God won't or can't. I would never say it out loud, but whenever I give in to fear it is because in my head I am hearing what Adam and Eve heard "did God really say?..."


Humility produces unity because it puts control in the hands of the only faithful one: God.


Giving in to fear that my position is on me to establish and maintain welcomes a control spirit to posses my heart. The spirit of control is always ready to respond to an invitation. The Pharisees and scribes who should have been the first to recognize the deity of Jesus actually blew it because of this same control spirit:


Matthew 23:13 “ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.


It was fear of the loss of their position that drove the Pharisees to reject the Son of Man...to miss the day of their visitation and even work to prevent others from seeing Jesus, too. The Pharisees rejected the very one they claimed to work for! They didn't trust that the God they claimed to serve was powerful enough to care for their position...they didn't believe He was a Father. A good Father cares that all of His children live out lives of value, meaning, and purpose. He is so committed to all those who bear His name. A good Father is dedicated to His kids.


What you take responsibility to build, you take responsibility to maintain, to guard, and to protect. What you trust God to build, He takes responsibility to maintain, to guard, and to protect. This is the story of David's life. He never established himself as king. Not when He was anointed, and not even when Saul, the reigning king, died. When Saul died, David knew he was now king, but Instead of going up to the cities of Judah to show Israel he was now king, David obeyed God and went to less important Hebron. God brought the men of Judah to David! David trusted God and God showed himself faithful. This was in direct contrast to Saul, who let fear and impatience drive him. God stripped the kingdom from Saul's family and gave it to David.


II Samuel 2:1-4 It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord , saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.”


God wants His family to have victory over a controlling spirit. He wants us "to be still and know He is God." If we will trust Him in this, He will establish each of His children in positions He is perfectly capable of maintaining, honoring, and growing. God has something big on His mind. We are heading somewhere important! Oh are we headed somewhere all the earth, since the time of Adam, has waited to see! If we can get the family together, and prepare to follow Dad into all He has planned, we are going to see power released on earth in a way that we can hardly imagine!

Psalms 46:1-11 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the Lord , Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah