As human beings, we have innate powers; God has given them to us. Although we have inherited a sin nature from the world, we still have innate powers from the Creator. We have human wisdom, strengths, resiliencies/survival instincts, emotional responses, moral sense, and capabilities that are present from the womb; no learning required. The Lord who created and provided these innate powers, now asks for us to connect to Christ and allow him to gently guide that human innate power into his divine goodness where we find Oneness with God.
God’s Word has a lot to say about Oneness, because it is his purpose to bring this sinful and rebellious world back to wholeness in Himself. As Jen was sharing in the devotional, yesterday, we must take a side on the work of Christ for salvation in order to enjoy peace with God. Jesus is Truth and we must side with him vs. side with our flesh or the world. Agreeing with God is the place where we find and enjoy Oneness as a spiritual family; no more favoritism and no more prejudice.
We have spiritually been connected in Christ, but we must trust the work of the Holy Spirit to bring our souls [minds/wills/emotions] along to live in the will of God—making us whole in the Truth. We are becoming a family of diverse loving people learning to live as One Body with One God. The Holy Spirit leads God’s “body-building” process for living. We must listen and obey.
Think about the spiritual family and how different we can all be yet, we are called to become One in Christ. We certainly need a lot of help from the Holy Helper for that purpose, right? But “becoming” is the word we must hang onto all the time. We are not finished as a family, we are “becoming” One. Be careful to whom you give your power each day: Our Holy God, your fallen flesh, or the deception of Satan. The believer’s purpose is to live for the glory of God. There lies the choice of taking sides. Who guides your power and how is it being used? I pray it’s for Oneness and Peace in becoming God’s Temple.
Ephesians 2:11-22 NLT Oneness and Peace in Christ.
11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
A Temple for the Lord
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Prayer: Lord, we know we are in the process of being built in Oneness as your spiritual family. Help us to see the journey from your perspective. We can find ourselves taking information and learning in such different ways that it can feel challenging. So we turn to you. Father, guide our innate power to see our differences in light of your creative beauty; we can then learn godly Truth from one another. Jesus, guide our power to focus on your selflessness; we can learn to lay down our wills and exalt the Truth of your will. Holy Spirit, guide our motives and actions; we need your help to apply the Word and live the Truth. Please help believers across the world become One. In Jesus’ name. Amen.