Tuesday, January 9, 2007 - One

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.  I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

  “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. 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. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!"

(John 17:20-24 NLT)

    I believe two of the most amazing characteristics of Jesus were His compassion and His unconditional love. To think that when He knew He was about to be betrayed and crucified, that He prayed for you and me. He prayed that we would be one together. He prayed for our unity. He prayed that they world would be able to see through our unity that God loves us.

    Today, in the church, we have multiple denominations. I go to church at a church that is in between two other churches and in front of another. And they're all different denominations.

    I've noticed something. On my basketball team, we all go to different denominations, different churches, but there's nothing very different about us. We all love each other the same, and when we start talking about Jesus, we all believe the same thing.

Comments

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - Unity

Posted by totustuus

Don't we know it!!!! lol

You're absolutely right. You know...most denominational splits are over issues like infant baptism, head coverings, communion, church leadership, etc, but are they really all that important?? Honestly, there are people who refuse to eat at the same dinner table with me because of beliefs like that!!

And most of the people who have "shunned" me because of my beliefs didn't even know what I believed in the first place! It's sad.

Unity is so much more important than all those things! We need to keep praying...and being peacemakers (boy that's harder than it sounds)...

God bless!

~Sylvia

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