Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

LIVING IN HARMONY

This entry was posted on 02-19-2008 and is filed under uncategorized.

"Live in harmony with one another" (Romans 12:16-a NIV).

What a wonderful world this would be if the nations could learn to live in harmony with one another. O.K., let's just say if the citizens of a country would live in harmony. O.K., let's just say the churches in a country. Or the families in a country. All right, just the married couples in a country. Isn't it sad that disharmony is everywhere - the home, the church, the country, the world? We are plagued by divorce, domestic abuse, church splits, political divides, nations at war, and terrorism, the plague of the entire planet.

In the O.T., David declared, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (Psa 133:1 NIV). Praying in the shadow of the cross our Lord's words still speak to us today: "That all of them may be one...so that the world may believe" (John 17:21 NIV). Paul knew that harmony was not only a good thing, but a necessary thing if the world was ever going to be won for Christ. So each one of us must do whatever it takes to "live in harmony with one another." To the church in Ephesus Paul said, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph 4:3 NIV). He even gave us some biblical guidelines for doing that. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (V. 2). A better world (country, church, home) begins with a practicing Christian. It all starts with humility - complete humility. "I" is at the center of "PrIde" and the sooner we say "Not I, but Christ, the sooner we will be able to live in harmony with others as God intended us to do.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it must grieve Your heart to look down each day and see all the wickedness and hurt that is happening beneath the rooftops of homes, churches, and statehouses. Forgive us of our ungodly pride. Empower us to live a life of humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance. We pray through Christ our Lord.