Your 24/7 Companion – Day 6

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

Jesus discussed two important matters with his disciples simultaneously, namely, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the gift of his peace that he would leave them with (John 14:26-27). The world can have no part in either of these two promises, because the peace of the world is not the same kind as that of Jesus. They cannot receive the Spirit either, because it neither sees him nor knows him (John 14:17).

One can understand if the world lives at daggers drawn – after all, they have nothing in common that strings them together. On the other hand, the believer has “something” more that strings them together. The Holy Spirit, the third person in the Godhead, is the source of unity amongst us (Ephesians 4:3). It is made possible because the believers are all part of one body – that of Jesus Christ. The one and same Spirit lives in us all. We were called by the same faith and hope in one God and Father.

However, it is a fact that discord breaks the unity amongst us. What causes discord? Ephesians 4:2 gives the answer: our unwillingness to align our lives with the calling of God for us. We struggle to (or are we merely unwilling?) to lovingly bear with one another in humbleness, gentleness and patience. We forget that none of us is perfect and yet, we expect of one another to be just that.

The solution? Realise and admit that you are imperfect, and that sometimes people have a problem with you too. Show the same mercy that you would expect from them: be patient with the mistakes and weaknesses of your fellow believers, and don’t concentrate too much on these things. Start seeing him/her as a fellow traveller on the same road, who also struggles with the “Me” and “I”, but in whom the 24/7 Companion nevertheless lives. Tolerate him or her with God’s love – the love that he has poured out into your heart.

Remember, the Spirit uses believers to keep his unity amongst themselves.