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I am using readings from the 49 Week Bible Challenge as the basis for these devotions. I encourage you to join me in this discipline. Today’s readings are 1 Corinthians 1; Isaiah 29; Deuteronomy 7; Jeremiah 8.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
There is so much disunity in the world.
- Political polarization in the United States
- Russia-Ukraine conflict
- Sunni-Shia sectarianism in the Middle East
- European migration debates
- Ideological clashes over social issues
- Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict
Sadly, there is also disunity in the church. I’ve experienced a lack of unity in the church, and it’s not fun. Suspicion. Fear. Distrust. Anger. Accusation. Thankfully it wasn’t all at once nor was it constant. But distrust, division, and discord erupted all too frequently, and it discouraged people and hurt the church.
The division in Corinth was about people. One claimed to follow Paul. Another Apollos. Still another Cephas (Peter). Then some were claiming the moral high ground claiming to follow Christ. While that may have been true, the claim does not carry the humility of Christ or the gentleness of spirit that are the foundations of peace.
Some think unity is all about uniformity. We all say the same things. We all pray the same way. We all follow the same liturgy. We all sing the same hymns. It was even worse in Paul’s day, for beyond the requirement that the people – including the gentile converts – observe the Jewish ceremonial laws, people were attaching personalities to those practices.
But the person to bring unity is Jesus. And he challenged pride and competition on the part of his disciples at every turn. He taught them that if they wanted to be great, they should be the servant of all, and put themselves last. “The last shall be first, and the first shall be last,” he told them (Matthew 20:16). Focusing on Jesus will do two things – if we let him speak to our hearts, and listen to his words. We will seek to love one another – just as he commanded. We will seek unity with him, the Father, and one another – just as he prayed for. We will reflect his humble spirit – just as he lived.
We’ll never do this perfectly. Nor have any of Jesus’ followers. That’s why many of the letters in the New Testament had to be written. That’s why Jesus had to correct his disciples regularly. But Jesus is ever forgiving, ever calling us back, ever inspiring his people to embody and rejoice in this precious gift.
We embody unity when love one another, and rely on the power of Jesus’ cross.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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