Unity at all costs

A united people will be difficult to defeat. All the virtue of a people rests in its sense of unity and in the certainty of those convictions that become values over time. The convictions engender the values . Today many people talk about values: ethical and moral values, values of behavior and social conduct, values of the family, of marriage, of parenthood, etc. The church is a people governed by values: the values of the Kingdom, the values of Christ. These values must be translated into the church in love for God himself, in fidelity to his word and consequently, in love for one another.

Loving God is commandment and law and the only guarantee that, empowered by his Spirit, we can follow him in all his ways and serve him with heart and soul.

The story of the conquest of the promised land is our own story; The qualities of the people that God began to raise up as a chosen nation centuries before Christ, are inspiration for today's Christian: unity around the true God, obedience and fidelity to his word, worship centered on his person and attributes.

Good intentions are often overridden by over-emotionalism in the ways we do things for God without first seeking his advice. In this chapter of the history of the people of Israel (Joshua 22), a part of the congregation decided to erect a huge altar on the other side of the Jordan, but the Lord had already established another place for their worship. It seemed that a division was brewing in the people to whom God had granted rest and peace after arduous battles. Why a second sanctuary, why erect a new altar of worship so large and imposing that it could even be seen from across the Jordan? The Israelites wondered. It was necessary to know the reasons and resolve the conflict that this action implied. Cannon against diplomacy.

The first reaction of the Israelites was to enlist to fight their own brothers, the second was to send an embassy of respectable people from the congregation to air the matter and seek a solution through negotiation. Piety and mercy triumphed; the diplomacy that comes from the love of God. The intention of the accused was simply to raise another altar for testimony as a symbol of the unity of the people that would be remembered by future generations. His mistake, not having consulted the Lord. Accused and accusers - both members of God's people - spread their hands and the conflict was resolved in such a way that the congregation heard saying: "Now we are sure that the Lord is in our midst ..." (Joshua 22:31) .

It is so in many of our churches. We erect alternate altars and distract ourselves from true worship; we focus on the things of man and not on the beauty and majesty of the Lord. If the audio or projector breaks down, spirits drop to worship. If the temple is not full, there is little point in indulging in genuine worship. Conflicts arise in the church because forgiveness and mercy are lacking; We prefer to murmur about an issue and its stakeholders, before approaching them piously and Christianly, listening to their motivations and asking for an explanation. Misunderstandings abound when only gossip is heeded. Unity is broken and the members of the body of Christ are split. The devil steals the applause of naive opportunists who match his emotions.

The Lord Jesus Christ wants a united church, whose members hold high the doctrine of forgiveness and godliness, the practice of fellowship and brotherhood. For the world to believe, we must be united, unanimous in feeling, upright in walking, willing to give the best of each one of us to the Lord of the church. Despite the storms, gossip, misunderstandings, the fragility of the weak in faith, the Lord wants the unity of his people ... at all costs.

God bless your Word!

Reading. Suggested: Joshua 22.