A CALL TO UNITY, TO FORGIVE, TO PRAY AND TO LOVE
Praise the Lord, O’ my soul! Praise the Lord!
Psalm 133 reads, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running
down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his
robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For
there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”
The Lord spoke to me through the Song of Accent in Psalm
133, a Davidic Psalm which gives a picture of God’s glory and the beauty of
unity among brethren in coming together, in dwelling in unity to worship God.
It is a picture of people of God who were scattered in habitation, coming
together in oneness, perhaps from different churches, from different cultures
and from different nations – made possible only by the power, the love and the
glory of God.
It is an illustration, commanding brotherly love and
harmony; the love of God – from oil to dew, such that the dew of Hermon
descends onto Jerusalem, so calm, so gentle and so refreshing. This is a
prophetic vision of God’s presence, God’s power and God’s glory which brings
forth healing, restoration, unity, blessings, abundance, beauty and fertility
to Jerusalem, to the Promised Land of Israel, where brethren gather to worship
Him – Him, the King of all kings, the Lord of all Lords and the God of ALL
creation! What a glorious sight! Praise the Lord!
Where God is present, there also, will be His blessings;
for He is the source of all blessings and life forevermore! Glory to the King!
Beloved, God is knocking at your door, for He desires an
intimate, personal, relationship with you. You may enter into that intimacy, as
you embrace His call upon your life. The Lord is calling to all His believers
and followers, asking them to unify as powerful witnesses to His Love and to be
sanctified in His Truth.
In His prayer to God the Father in John 17:17-21, Jesus
prayed:
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you
sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake
I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask
for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that
they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one
even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly
one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you
loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with
me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.”
Receive sanctification, which is progressive, as we
follow Jesus; a process which sets us apart for the redemptive works of God, so
that we become less and less attached to the world and impure desires. By faith
in and in obedience to Christ and His righteousness, we will become more and
more attached to the things of God that are unseen and eternal.
Paul wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy 2:21,
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonourable, he will be a
vessel for honourable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the
house, ready for every good work.” When we consecrate ourselves to God, we need
to discard the values held by those of the world, and judging each other. Even
as we go through the trials of this life, may we always remember to take our
concerns to God; for “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” says the Jesus
(Matthew 11:30). He, who has overcame Satan on the Cross, is infinitely
powerful and is more than able to strengthen us and help us overcome our
problems and see us through it all, in His glory. As First John 5:4 says, “For
everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world–our faith.”
Jesus said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you
authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Jesus also promised us in John 16:33, “I have said these
things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Paul also said in Second Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though
we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the
weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy
strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the
knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to
punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Friends, know that we are living in a world of
ungodliness and darkness; and are constantly at war. Put on the full armour of
God and stand for Jesus against the schemes of the devil. Guard your heart –
rebuke the evil one, his lies and deception that bring misunderstanding,
confusion, discord and strife, torn by conflicts – in the church and in our
personal life. Be awakened to God, resist pride that stands in the way of His
purpose and our destiny; and see things as God would see it. Let us uphold
godly values and walk in humility with God – in love, in purity, in mercy and
in justice.
The Words spoken by Jesus in Luke 6:37 says, “Judge not,
and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned;
forgive, and you will be forgiven…” Yes, to be sure, “In Christ, we have
obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of
him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who
were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians
1:11-12).
God desires our unity in Him and in love – both, in His
church and in our personal life. Paul encouraged us in Ephesians 4:2-4 “to walk
in the manner worthy of the calling to which we are called – with all humility
and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Regardless of our wealth, ethnicity, age, knowledge, our
position or status, the denomination we belong to, the maturity of our faith,
the spiritual gifts we possess; let us endeavour to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace, praying for all believers to be united in mind, in
truth and in love.
“Know that grace was given to each one of us according
to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7).
In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus and other
churches near it, he warned Christians in Ephesians 4:26-32 about the “danger
of anger” and said: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on
your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer
steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that
he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come
out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the
occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Brethren, let us stand in unity and in love, for as Paul
has assured us in Galatians 3:26-29 saying that, “in Christ Jesus you are all
sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to
promise.” ”He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death”
(Revelation 2:11). Praise the Lord!
Let us get ourselves ready, for “according to His
promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be
found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (2 Peter 3:13-14).
To God be the glory, the honour and the dominion forever
and ever!
Amen and Amen!
Daniel Pasaribu
