Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Summary: The bond of peace is not to be taken for granted. We were given the gift of peace at great cost to our Creator. To keep it requires effort.
Why does it take effort to keep the unity of the Spirit?
At our house there is a cedar chest where my wife keeps some of our old photo albums and memorabilia. On the rare occasions I look at my old albums, I am shocked and saddened by the decay of the pictures. Like my memories of when they were taken, the pictures themselves have faded.
This world is a place of decay. Seedtime and harvest are a cycle that repeats over and over, but this world is not a forever place. Just like invisible forces are at work to destroy my pictures and age my body and mind, the same forces work to erode the unity of the Spirit, too.
Thoughts creep into our minds unbidden. Doubts, questions, and remembered hurts cloud our thinking. Our emotions are unstable, like sand on the ocean’s shore. Jealousy can flare up at a moment’s notice. Frustration at not being heard or appreciated can metastasize into anger.
If we don’t choose to counteract the forces of mental and spiritual erosion, the effects accumulate. When that happens, unity is replaced by individuality. In effect, we put ourselves higher than others, and by ignoring the greatest commandments, we put ourselves above God as well.
That is not a good place to be.
It takes effort to keep unity, but it is worth it. For the sake of the body of Christ, and the sake of our own soul, it is worth it.
Application: Make the effort! Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself.
Food for Thought: What is the cost of keeping peace in the body of Christ?
I wanted to share something in relation to something you wrote in today’s devotion:
“Frustration at not being heard or appreciated can metastasize into anger.”
I have prayed about this in my own life. The answer I have been given (so far) is this:
Genesis 3:17-18 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.”
What I believe the Holy Spirit said to me is that the frustration of feeling that my efforts are not good enough is part of that curse of sin. Calling on the name of Jesus, asking for, and following, the direction of the Holy Spirit, releases us from that curse of sin. His “enough” is good, His enough is our enough.
What is the cost of keeping peace in the body of Christ?
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Submission to the Father, through the Son, through the Holy Spirit. Praise God for providing us the gathering of believers into one body. Accept that there are no “lone wolves” and you cannot be “an island unto yourself.” The cost is laying aside our need to be “righteous”, in exchange for the righteousness of Christ living in us.
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
We need to let go of our own agendas. What will we get to take with us to Heaven? Only what is in our heart.
The cost is everything we think is real, in exchange for what truly exists.
Chris,
Thank you for sharing about the tyranny of being “good enough.” It is a horrible task master, and yes, Jesus is good enough.
As you point out, part of letting go is letting go of our own agendas.
Thanks!
Chris your glowing with the Holy Spirit lately.
As always, great thoughts CH.
One cost is being willing to let go of the feeling that we have a right to be angry, to remain hurt, to not forgive, etc. To forgive someone means to not have them pay what you feel they owe. Christ has forgiven us much. We need to forgive others. Without forgiveness there will not be peace. That can probably be said of several things we need to let go of to pursue true, lasting peace. Matthew 18: 21 – 35; Mark 11:25; Romans 12: 18; Hebrews 12: 14
Rich,
I like the illustration of “letting go” of certain things in order to maintain peace. There are so many things that come to mind. Sometimes we fasten onto something … thing… and hold it sacred, and instead of making us stronger in faith it becomes a barrier. The only thing we need to hang on to is Jesus. (Since the Word is all about Jesus, that is important, too.)
06-15-2023, What is the cost of keeping peace in the body of Christ?
By our nature, in our natural state, all mankind are sinners, we are not at peace with God our Creator, are not at peace with ourselves or others of our kind, and find moments brief joy as we get our way. Study history, tune into any news channel, scan any newspaper and see the nature of mankind on full display. The truth is, mankind is in the process attempting to destroy all that is good.
Some live deep in this sinful world until one day the Lord calls out to them in a very loud inner voice, shows them exactly what they are, exactly what they have chosen for their eternal future, and exactly what they must do if they want to avoid hell.
We need someone to pay the cost of our sin, provide the power to create a new heart and then to change us from the inside. Only then can we have true peace!
We have all sinned, are incapable of living in true peace, and in fact we will not know true peace until our sins are paid for. The price is beyond our ability to pay. This is the reason Ephesians calls Jesus “our peace,” because He paid the penalty of our sins.
Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:13-14
Jesus Christ came to earth to give all who believe and receive Him as Lord, an ETERNAL PEACE in our soul. His peace does not come merely from listening to His teachings, but is the result of our dying to self and living in faith KNOWING He has paid the penalty for our sins, and today lives in our hearts. As we submit to His will over our own, we begin to desire and seek EXISTING in HIS will more. We are transformed into HIS people knowing the great peace and joy which comes through submission to God’s will, as HE serves others through us. The cost of keeping peace in the body of Christ has been paid by the blood shed by Jesus Christ for all mankind, and turning back is no longer an option.
Colossians 1:20, 1:22, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Romans 5:11, Ephesians 2:14
Ron,
Thank you for the deep dive into the cost of our sin and the value of Jesus’ forgiveness. For those who understand this, I believe you are right; they come to value peace over anything else. Well said!
Allowing Christ to bring peace to those around us becomes our Happy Place!
Blessings always Jeff!
Ron