14. Unity

[Pastor Ralph]

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

[Old Jerry]

I like the picture of the anointing oil running down on the beard and onto the collar. Unity is hard to achieve on our world because there are people that have big egos. They don’t want unity then their jobs would be done away with. In the church unity isn’t achieved because of the ego of the person that want to split it up. When that happens they can become the pastor where if they stayed in the church that wouldn’t happen. The chief obstacle to love in my life is my ego.

[XAVY]

 

Beautiful, expensive fine oil pouring down his beard, down his collar on to his expensive robes.

I may be wrong but but unity is hard to achieve in all the afore mentioned question.  People are egoistic, self centered,  one track.  I could go on.  We first need to be humble and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us.

Our world is an "I" world.  We have forgotten what the new commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples.  (John13: 34- 35)  

In Africa, I worked with local people who had very little.  But the sharing and love they had for each other was very noticeable and inspiring.  Eg.  The sharing of food mainly.  Nothing was wasted.  They pooled together their resources and shared them out to those who had nothing.  Have to remember here people in this area were already very poor.  If crops fail there is no food.

I truly believe the recognisable obstacle   in my life is  fear of other peoples reactions.  There is little trust among individuals and neighbours and people who belong to the church.

[Mecco]

Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mt Zion. How sad that Mt Zion is now so dry! It’s as if it is a symbol of the lack of unity there. Every place has its discord, but on Mt Zion “the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

 

Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families?

 

Pride. Ego boosting arrogance, that bases worth on achievement and acceptance on power over is why unity is lacking. Jesus recognized that weakness when He taught His disciples that “the greatest among you shall be the servant of all.”

 

What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

 

Love has always been a difficult emotion for me. Lately the Spirit has been talking to me about His image in people...imago dei. It’s first mentioned in Gen 1:27. This week I found it in James 3:9. The way we treat others reflects our love for God, and although that makes sense when dealing with “brothers”, some people are really mean, or pedophiles, or something else just as troubling. How can I see in others the source of all love when they are full of arrogance and hate?

[rosegarden]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

a.  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  Jesus is the chief unifier and without the Holy Spirit working in us, we cannot have unity.  Jesus prayer, That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.  (John 17:21-23)  

b.  Without God it is impossible.  People wanting power and control, are self-centered, prideful, own opinions, always right,  hateful, hurtful, nasty, without God and all the other things that come with human nature and a life that is not surrendered to the Lord. Then again, we need to see people as God sees them, not on the outward appearance or their faults, as hurt people ...Hurt people.   We need to see their need of God for forgiveness, healing and deliverance.

b.  I don't know if it is an obstacle but I do want the God kind of love for others, unconditional love and compassion.   The Bible says, And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us.  (Romans 5:5)    In my own self, I don't have that kind of love  but it is in really knowing God loves me by the Holy Spirit, that I can love others.

[MosesSole]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  I love the image of the dew of Hermon falling on Zion, and the metaphor of it being like God's blessings being plentiful for all the people of neighboring nations. 

"It is as if the dew of Hermon  
were falling on Mount Zion.  
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,  
even life forevermore." (Psalm 133:3)

 Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life? The obstacle to unity is people. The ones in charge are often aggressive and power hungry. They prefer to be a king in a small pond than rule in unity with other nations and all their people. That's why we have so many borders, and languages. There is no obstacle to love in my life because everyone who is near and dear to me receive all of my best self. But first and foremost, "Love thy LORD, they God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength."  

 

 

 

[Nancy H]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:36 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

The picture of dew on the mountain takes me to a place of peace, calm, stillness, refreshment and renewed vitality. I can almost smell the clean air & feel a slight breeze on my face.

Lasting unity requires a foundation of love that is inspired & enabled by the Holy Spirit. Without this, progress can be made but won't last or stand the test of time.

My chief obstacles to love in my life are my selfishness, pride, self-centeredness, resentments and jealousy.

[Katy]

I really like the first verse:

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live in unity. Life is so calm and peaceful when we live in harmony as God wants us to live. We all have a great responsibility to insure so much as it depends on us to make sure it happens. We do this by pulling our weight in church, by coming to church willing to contribute in whatever way the Lord has gifted us.We must not criticise people to others. We must not gossip. If we do have a problem we must address it through the correct channels. We must be helpful in whatever way we can.

Lasting unity is hard to maintain because we live in a fallen world and we all are sinful. We may work towards unity some of the time but every now and again our ego’s and sinfulness gets in the way. 
Unfortunately we can all be guilty of this. 
In the world the ethos at the moment is to put “ I” or “ me” first. With no reference to God. This leads to disunity, and worse.

Romans 12v3 Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement.

Unity can only be present when we seek unity by praying about it as a church/ family on a regular basis.

My chief obstacle to love in my life is my own selfishness, laziness, pride, and resentments. 
Some days are better than others! 

[hanks]

Day 14 Meditation (Psalm 133). 
Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  
Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? 
What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life? 
“Unity is like heavy dew” is the word picture I find most attractive. I visualise dew coming down from heaven above upon the earth below, as the spirit of love coming down and being poured into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit. (Rom 5:5b – “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”). In the same way as dew descends silently and gently until it covers the whole ground, so is love spread among believers by a quiet and gentle process, until it regenerates all believers, resulting in its effects becoming visible to the world. The result is that there is unity among believers and the Church is edified by the love of many. The Holy Spirit brings new life, so does the Word bring new life. In Scripture, dew symbolizes the life-giving Word of God – “Let My teaching fall like rain and My words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants” (Deut 32:2). This all results in our hearts and minds being filled with love, joy, and peace. Where ever there are people there will always be strife. We are our own downfall and enemies of unity because of always wanting to put self-first - our self-centeredness, me, me, me … This is the chief obstacle to love. I came across an adage: “A lot of problems in the world would disappear if we talk to each other instead of about each other”. There is no time or inclination to think of others. Coupled with this is our bickering, jealousy, backbiting, gossiping, and so on; all enemies of unity. And this is despite being Christians who experience the same spiritual birth, worship the same God, declare the same gospel message, and preach from the same Scriptures. It is only God's Spirit and His promise of eternal life that will break down the sin in our hearts, crucifying our selfishness, and uniting us.  
 

[JanMary]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:36 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

1. All three are compelling to me, so it's hard to choose one over another. The dew which refreshes and falls at night when all is calm and quiet, I'm "thirsting for" as well as the Oil, Holy Spirit's constant presence to  comfort, teach, guide, inspire, train, fill, love....but now in the chaos and unrest of the Marxist insurgency trying to remove our president, and to take control of America's government, in order to hasten their desire for globalization (to repeat Satan's objective at the Tower of Babel: to achieve a super society governed by one dictator, apart from God.). Defeat of the enemy and UNITY, peace and civility is my hearts cry.

God's mercy is shown in Acts 2, when all 17 of the Tower of Babel conspiracy nations, listed in Genesis, are recorded as being represented and were present when Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost!  God's grace!

2. True Unity is modeled by our Triune God! Three Persons in One, in perfect harmony but with 3 different functions. The family is a type of their harmony, but our fallen nature is hard pressed to give up the innate desire for power and control, so conflict is inevitable, which then follows in churches and governments. 

3. The fallen nature cannot truly love nor give unselfish love. Only in Christ and surrender to Holy Spirit's control can we give and receive a semblance of His unselfish love.

[Mona Burton]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

For me it is  "... when brothers dwell in unity." It speaks to me of love and friendship, enjoying each others company, playing and having fun together, and in times of crisis, being there to support and help.

I think lasting unity is hard to achieve in life because of the sin of selfishness.  Everybody wants to be loved, supported, recognized, and esteemed by everybody else. Everybody is pulling in his/her direction, and in doing that everybody is contributing to the split in society, whether it be in the family, the church, the country, or the world.  What happened to "let us ...?"  Or "we are ..."

I think the chief obstacle to love in my life is impatiens.  When i find certain shortcomings in some people's lives, my patients run thin very quickly.  Now I know that is unhealthy spiritually and that I need to get it fixed immediately. 

[Lottie]

The oil being poured on Aaron's head and running down onto his robe that describe how trur unity shold be.

I think it is so hard because of people's pride and selfishness even in churches. How they fight over small things or want things their way. They want their rights over anyone else's. They think they are being ignored and will do anything to be noticed, Or they fight over control and power and run rough shod over other people. They are offended over the littlest things and let bitterness into their hearts.

I think the main obstacle to love with me is impatience and misjudging others. I am a person who sometimes feels lonely even at church.

[blezed]

Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling? 

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity".  Picture of beauty, joy and loveliness.

Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families?

Lack of love for one another.  Everyone has their own agenda and think theirs is better than the other.   We disagree and cause division over unimportant issues.  Some seen to get joy in causing tension by discrediting others.  Things of the world have overflown into our churches where it is more about position and power than love ye one another.

What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

Trust. 

[Veronica L]

A picture of unity. In this modern day the people are liking one thing Love. The psalmist is painting a beautiful picture that when agape love is present  it is joyous view. We definitely need the power of Gods Spirit to dwell in our hearts in order for anything to take place.

The chief obstacle to Love in my life is  to become one like Jesus and God. The Holy Spirit can’t function fully when there is something else in mans heart.Also, being able to experience the power of Godin its fullness.Being in unity is a beautiful picture !

[Godswriter]

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

I believe the word pictures that are most compelling to me are the one of unity and the part of blessing. I believe unity is so hard achieve in our world because people refuse to agree to disagree on certain things and realize that certain things are better left unsaid at certain times. When it comes to our countries it is because people think they know better than their leaders and if they don't like what someone says they have to tell that person off. In churches I believe it is because the people it is because they refuse to bury the hatchet so to speak and forgive and live in unity. But also there are churches who believe they are the only church who is actually saved. In families they finger point about what someone has done wrong repeatedly and eventually the family is torn apart. The chief obstacle is my idolatry which is something I am working on daily,

[haar]

Day 14 Meditation (Psalm 133).

Q. Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling? 

A. Unity of brethren living together like dew falling on mount Hermon. The effect of the unity is so congealing by the power of lover!!!

Q. Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families?

A. The unity is devoid of agape love that will bring about genuine and lasting unity.

Q. What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

A. Selfishness   and  lack of love

[Jesus Follower]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:36 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

The dew of Mt. Hermon falling on Mt. Zion.  I love the imagery of the refreshment that the dew brings to plants&  that unity can have the same effect on a community.

Sin. (Pride and self centeredness).

Self- centeredness and pride. Also, fear can keep me locked away in my own world not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, while preoccupied with my own worries.

[souxieq]

On 7/19/2020 at 10:06 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

All Living in unity 

Pride mostly 

That giving wholeheartedly is mistaken for asking to be used as a doormat - nothing good comesbof the latter situation - not for the doormat nor for the user

[Paul G]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:36 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

Q -  Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  ANS - Precious oil being poured out.  A picture of the Holy Spirit doing its wonderful work of love and unity within the body of Christ, congregations, and people.  

Q - Why so hard to achieve?  ANS -  The enemy, the devil, is always at work attempting to divide, to bring disharmony, unforgiveness, bitterness, and problems into the church, the world, our nation.  We sure see much division in our nation today, wanting to tear down the moral fabric and fiber of our country.  This current election has brought out the ugliness of it all. 

Q -  Chief obstacle to love (and unity) in my life, and marriage -  ANS -  Get my old self, my old carnal nature, out of the way 

[Kym Nixon]

The oil running down the beard onto the clothing. I see this as the anointing that breaks yokes of bondage and differences in the body. Lasting unity is difficult because people want to be right and are afraid of being tainted by deception. Obstacle is pride.

[Karen11]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:36 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Day 14 Mediation (Psalm 133). Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families? What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

The Blessed oil running down the face and beard, the beauty of it all. 

As long as the devil runs to and fro on this earth there will never be unity, so much hate, jealousy, pride, we need to repent and let God.

Fear and pride, we need more humility.

 

[Irmela]

Day 14 Meditation (Psalm 133).

Which word pictures in Psalm 133 do you find most compelling?  

Why do you think lasting unity is so hard to achieve in our world, in our countries, in our churches, in our families?

What do you think is the chief obstacle to love in your life?

The brethren to dwell together in UNITY.

Not everybody thinks or believes the same.  Even when we experience the same hardship, everyone works through it differently.  Just an example:  there are no shoes to be had . . . one will say,  yeah! now I can go barefooted without those hated shoes.   Another will think,  my feet will get sore on the stones.  .  .  .  .  same thing happen to two different people and they will look at it in a different light.  

Maybe that is just a simple example but it is reality.  Many times a simple thing causes strife and a split up in families, communities, churches and nations.  As one of the replies were, we should just agree to disagree on certain points.  UNITY would be great though.

I can usually love easily, but trusting people is a big issue.  So loving will be a very careful love, from which I can easily disentangle myself.  I am not "thick skinned" so I very easily get hurt and disappear into my shell.   It can be called misunderstanding.

[Krissi]

I like the image of oil being poured over Aaron's head -- why Aaron? -- flowing into his beard, dripping off each hair, covering his shirt. Some misses his beard and fills his hair and soaks into his collar. That must have felt strange. As Pastor Ralph wrote, the image is that of excess or extravagance. Too, perhaps, it is an image of safety, of being enveloped by an oil ... swimming in it, so to speak.

Unity should not be a goal for Christians. Instead, we should pursue our vertical relationship with Him and allow horizontal relationships to take whatever form He permits.

• In the world (and church) unity devolves into uniformity. It's coerced and oppressive.
• In the spiritual world, or the ideal one, unity creates differentiation. It's freeing.

One strength of Protestant denominations and churches is the tendency to split when differences become untenable. This is a sign of spiritual maturity, not weakness or immaturity. Churches or denominations that coerce uniformity tend to wither and die. For example, in the West, oldline denominations are dying as the Protestant fringe, the charismatic and apostolic/prophetic churches, are thriving. I write this as an Anglican, a state-supported denomination that has almost died out in England but is growing in places where, long ago, still faith-filled Anglicans ministered and witnessed. I love the order and liturgy of the Anglican church but recognize that spiritually, it's running on fumes.

The chief obstacle to love in my life?  Probably the most obvious obstacle is my intense shyness/introversion and a tendency to observe rather than participate. Secondarily, I think differently than most people so have developed an elaborate ruse of hiding what I'm really thinking. My shell is thick. People think I'm more sophisticated than I am and tend to back away. Writing anonymously on this forum has been one of the most revelatory acts of my life. Sad, huh?