UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

". . . I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all." Ephesians 4: 1 - 6

Did you read those verses from Ephesians? Paul really does NOT need any help from me, but as I read these words this morning during my "quiet time" they spoke to my heart so that I simply wanted to share a few thoughts with you, brothers and sisters in Christ. How often do we truly "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit"? More often, I think, we allow the smallest of details to disrupt that unity and disturb that "bond of peace" that Paul mentions here. Perhaps you "make every effort", but in all honesty I must confess that I do not. I allow petty differences to disrupt the unity to which God has called us in the Body of Christ. I allow hurts, real and imagined, to creep into my being so that I pull away from "unity" and stretch the "bond." Paul tells us to "be patient, bearing with one another in love." Are we truly "patient" with one another? Are we really "bearing with one another in love." Or, instead, do we, at best, tolerate one another in silence? Do we push down resentments, judgments, attitudes, anger, hurt, fear, disgust, contempt, and try to bury them deep enough in our souls so that we do not have to face them rather than work at making "every effort" to be humble and gentle? I know I do; I stand "guilty" -- how about you? In the verses that follow these in Chapter Four of Ephesians Paul goes on to discuss the various gifts that God gives to individual Christians for the purpose of service within the Body of Christ (His church). Dear ones, we can not truly respect one another's gifts and service if we secretly harbor resentments, judgments, anger, hurt, contempt, fear, disgust, and "attitudes" toward one another. We need to go to our Lord in prayer to ask that He would "search (us) and know (our) hearts; try (us) and know (our) thoughts." (Psalm 139: 23) What is buried in our hearts and thoughts that might be a barrier to our "bond of peace" and "unity."? If we are to truly value one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and respect the gifts that each of us bring to the Body of Christ then we must "be patient, bearing with one another in love." We must recognize that we are ALL a "work in progress." We should see that each of us is working to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Most of us simply have NOT arrived yet, but like Paul, we keep pressing forward toward the prize! (Philippians 3:12) We must "make every effort" to love, bear with, and appreciate one another for what each of us has to offer in service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whatever differences appear to separate us we need to remember that we are called to be the Body of Christ. In our church and parish we are called to be the Body of Christ. In our larger associations or denominations we are called to be the Body of Christ. In the larger, greater holy catholic church (the church universal) we are called to be the Body of Christ. We are called to "unity in the Body of Christ." We are not called to disunity, division, separation, and disharmony but to "unity." As Paul writes "There is one body and one Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all." AMEN! God is good! Blessings, peace, grace, & LOVE, Link Hullar


	... to know Christ and to make Christ known ...

Laura Lee Carter is a very active member of our Parish Family and we are PROUD to announce that she has recently been honored...CONGRATULATIONS!

UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST