Living Together in Unity

DEVOTIONAL BY JOYCE PORTO

There is something powerful when the people of God come together. God created us to be in fellowship with Him and one another from the foundation of the world when He created Adam and Eve.

When God called Abraham, He formed a great nation and divided Abraham’s descendants into the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus came to earth and chose twelve disciples to walk alongside Him in community. Through the disciples, the church was born as the body of Christ.

It is God’s design that we live in community and that His church reflects on earth what pleases His heart: unity.

The dictionary defines unity as “a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one”, meaning that many parts in harmony make a beautiful masterpiece.

The psalmist tells us that it is good and pleasant when the people of God live in a harmonious relationship. The Word of God describes the church as the body of Christ and this body has different functions yet works together for the Kingdom of God. Since we are all a part of the church, we are all invited to serve using our gifts and talents. Despite being different from one another, we all serve a common task to make Jesus known and to share the good news of salvation with those who are lost.

For many years, I was part of a mission trip that invited young adults to serve together during our summer break. We were coming from different states and did not know each other. As we got together to serve, we all had different talents and gifts we could use to accomplish the mission. Some served through music, others with children and teens, others with community outreach, others with adults and women, and others on the prayer team. On the last day of the mission trip, our team had become best friends, and the community was impacted by our unity. We saw many lives come to Christ because of our team serving together as one.

This is what God desires for His people. Oneness. We may be different, but in Christ we all have the same story: we were sinners that were saved and forgiven by Jesus who gave His life and shed His blood for us. The diversity of our gifts and talents have a part in the body of Christ and can be used to proclaim the Kingdom of God as we serve together.

Let us impact generations for the sake of the Gospel as we serve together. How good and pleasant it is when the church, and WMU of Texas, live in unity.