Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 66:16-20
Ps 66:16-20
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
John 17:20-23
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
It is interesting to observe the things that unite people and the things that divide them. Often people are divided over political ideology or parties. We have seen this in our own national government and the various races for office. To their shame, we have seen our congress divided because too many (on both sides) put their party loyalty ahead of the good of the people who elected them. Add to this the heated discussions that can arise over religious differences and watch the proverbial pot boil or the pressure cooker blow the cork!
But unity is just as interesting. We have seen bitter enemies unite to fight against a common opponent. They both hate or fear this opponent and so they work as one to stop it or keep it from growing. This is what happened with the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the time of Jesus. They were bitter opponents and usually anything one did, the other was against it. It was liberal versus conservative but they both hated and feared Jesus so much they united to stop him.
The unity God wants comes from him. All who are in Jesus are children of God and that makes us all brothers and sisters. Paul says we are to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. God has always hated it when any would cause division and sow discord among his people.
Heavenly Father help your people be one in Jesus Christ as we seek to love you first and love each other without condition. Don’t let me allow disagreement with others to keep me from truly loving them and showing my love for them. As I know the peace in my heart that is beyond explanation, help me use it to live at peace with others, as much as is possible for me to do so. Be with the leaders of our nation that they will work together in peace. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
