John 17:21 "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me."
The night before His crucifixion Jesus prays to the Father and asks Him to bless His followers. He wants them to have His joy and to be kept save in the world by the Holy Spirit. At this point in His prayer He asks for unity among His followers according to the example set by Jesus and His Father in heaven. And this unity is to be a sign to the world that Jesus indeed was sent to earth by God. When we look at the history of mankind what stands out to me is the constant presence of conflict. There has never been a time when man has dwelt in peace and unity. There is something in the nature of man that compels him to want more and take from another what isn't his. Man is greedy, covetous, full of envy, desiring to lord it over others, and never content with what he has. His actions and emotions cause pain, strife, and suffering and the end result of human desire is always death. As soon as two have to come together and live in a common environment there will always be conflict. It is our sinful nature. We cannot help it. Left to our own devices, we are condemned to a life of misery.
Jesus told us to be witnesses to the world. We are not just to witness to the world but actually lives as witnesses among the other people. We are to show the world by the way we live that God is real and that Jesus is the son of God. There is one way that stands out above all others in our daily walk in which we can accomplish this: to get along. What is impossible in our natural state, will be achievable with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. If we, as Christians, love one another and live in harmony with each other, we will be so different from the norm that the world has to stop and take notice. We are set apart, sanctified, from the world, not to do as the world does, but as God has shown us.
This is not a new concept that Jesus introduces here. All through the Bible God intended for His people to live in such a way to be witnesses for Him. He took a whole nation and set them apart from the rest of humankind. He blessed them and gave them His commandments so that they may be a shining city on a hill to those that live in darkness. The Israelites were to be the example to everyone else of what it looks like to be governed by God. When they trusted in God and depended on Him they succeeded, but when they walked in their own strength they failed miserably. Ultimately, they became legalistic and blew their witness because they elevated the letter of the law above the heart of God and tried to live their lives on their own terms.
Likewise we, too, need to depend on God daily for the ability to walk in unity if we desire to be witnesses of God's redemptive work to the world. To dwell in unity with our brothers and sisters is not in our nature and can only be achieved in our lives if we daily surrender to the leading of God. To be witnesses is not so much about what we do, but rather to what extend we allow God to come into our lives and change our hearts. We need to be transformed from the inside out by the power and grace of God. It takes dying to self and living for God that will cause us to esteem others in such a way that we can live together in peace. And that unity will speak louder to the fallen heart than any sermon we can ever preach.
Application
I want to be a witness to those around me by how I interact with my fellow believers. Today I will pray to God to grant me kindness and love toward everyone I come in contact with. I will speak only kind words in each conversation that I have today.
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