1.1 Keep the Unity of the Spirit

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3, NLT

Paul tells us that our individual victories and our corporate victories are a result of the value we place on unity, purity, and harmony. As we walk together in Christ, God wants our hearts and minds united for His purposes. He wants this for Griffin First Assembly and for the Kingdom at large. Paul implores us to lead a life worthy of our calling, to walk with each other in love and humility, and to run together in sweet harmony in each season for His purposes. Leading a life worthy of the calling of Christ means dealing with self. We choose to monitor closely our emotions, our personal preferences, our opinions, and our selfishness. Then, we commit to walk in love with our co-laborers and esteem their value and purpose. We set aside our differences for the sake of unity. We labor together, and because we are unified, the labor is easier. We are stronger. We find joy in laboring! The Passion Translation says it this way, “Be faithful to guard the sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit among you in the bonds of peace.” Unity is not the goal, Paul says, but unity is the result of pursuing God’s purposes. Having done this, we must then be on guard and protect the “sweet harmony of the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer: Lord, sincerely I ask you, create in me a clean heart. I want to walk worthy of my calling. I want to be pleasing in your sight. I pray that the love I find in you flows through me so I might walk in love with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We serve the same purpose and have the same goal – to know you and to make you known, and so we work together to see your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Commitment: I will make every effort to stay in unity with the Spirit of God, to preserve the unity of His spiritual community, and to walk in sweet harmony with Christ and other believers.