Angel_dsouza Posted November 9, 2011 Report Share Posted November 9, 2011 The Blessings the Lord bestows on those who stay in unity dwelling in unity is difficult because of different understandings unity requires us to Love unconditionally Jesus always taught us to reconcile with man and God to love and to stay united - becasue this is what will help us to attain eternal life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kree8ive_4_Christ Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? I am attracted to verse 2. Dwelling together in unity brings so much abundance that it metaphorically drips off of us and literally emanates from us. That is a mind-blowing concept. Dwelling together in unity is difficult for a number of reasons, the main one being our selfish pride. All too often, we like to have our own way and do our own thing. We think our way is the best way, our opinion is the best opinion, and so on. It is nearly impossible to be unified when everyone—or the large majority—is thinking like this. It is the very opposite of what John wrote in John 3:30 (NKJV),”He must increase, but I must decrease.” If we don’t adopt this attitude, we will not be able to see others and situations the way Christ calls us to see them, rendering unity impossible. It really is an issue of selfish pride. Unity requires exactly what John described: WE must decrease our importance and our will and we must increase CHRIST’S will and make Him the center of our lives. Unity requires that each person puts his or her will aside and concentrates on the interests of others. Simply put, not so simply done. Reconciliation and unity are such high values in Christ’s teachings because they are a reflection of His work for us. Christ died that we might be reconciled with God and unified in spirit with the Holy Spirit. If we are to be Christ-like, we must adopt the same attitudes and give ourselves up that others might be reconciled and unified with us and with each other, but more importantly before God. This is an extension of what Christ has done for us; now we are commanded to do it for each other. Failure to act in this area is a failure to recognize what Christ has done to reconcile us before the Father and make us unified with the Holy Spirit. These topics are high on Jesus’ priority lists because He recognizes the importance of a unified Church but also because He knows it is a direct reflection of Himself in the eternal reconciliation. This is a way to hold a mirror to ourselves, so to speak. Am I recognizing what Christ did for me by working on reconciliation and unity with others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Marie Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? Unity. Living in unity is difficult due to sin. The seven deadly sins specifically: pride, anger, envy, ****, sloth, greed, gluttony. To live in unity we must commit to love and respect one another, pick our battles and be assertive so resentment doesn't take over, and live by God's laws and Word. Sometimes we are not 'pure', or sincere, in saying all that is on our minds for the sake of unity.When we do not admit our wrongs and say we are sorry it definitely creates a separation between us and others and us and God. God can not show love through us for one another unless we reconcile and are united. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 The thing I like about this Psalm is the unity that it talks about. That would be wonderful if we could be unified. There would be nothing that could not be accomplished if we Christians would unify. I think that “dwelling together in unity” is so difficult is because we all want things our way. We don’t want to compromise with each other because we are right and the other is wrong. Besides unity requires us to compromise. Unity and purity conflict with each other because in order to have unity you have to have compromise where purity says that we don’t compromise. We should never compromise on core issues but on non-core issues there should be compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulajean Posted October 7, 2014 Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 Q3. (Psalm 133) A.)What about this short psalm seems to attract you? B.) Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? C.)What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? D.)How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? E.)Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=661 A. There is a lot of imagery in this Psalm. The attraction for me is that it paints a picture in my mind. Very visual. B. I believe that unity is sometimes difficult because people are all different. What may be an important matter for you may not be important to me. You may have a strong opinion on a topic and mine may be stronger still in the opposite direction. God made us all different, so there will be differences, but working in unity means setting differences aside and working for a common good. C. Unity requires us to put our differences aside and work for the common good. This is how I visualize heaven. D. Unity and purity to me seem to work together rather than conflict one another. My reasoning for this is that when you have unity, everything seems to be good. Everyone is thinking of the needs of others and making it all work, which is what love is. And love is pure. E. Reconciliation is being forgiven of your sins and made right with God. Unity is being able to work together putting our differences aside. If we are right with God then it is so much easier to get along with others and be unified. I am LOVING this class! Thank you so much for making it free and sharing your knowledge with us!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? Dwelling together in unity, in my experience is hard because of pride. People often have agendas, think they can do things differently and better themselves. Often there can be a power struggle between people-even in a christian context. I do not condemn because I can often be at fault also. Humility is an important aspect of unity. There are many passages of scripture besides the one we are studying) which exhort and encourage unity, humility and compassion for one another (http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/unity-bible-verses/). Pride was at the route of "the fall" when Adam and Eve took of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). When we are full of pride we do not see our need for God. "We must appreciate how weak we would be without Him. This leads us to depend on God to meet our needs" (http://www.gospelway.com/christianlife/meekness.php). Jesus said that we must be like children to receive the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17, Matt 18:3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbiemac Posted August 19, 2015 Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 Dwelling together in unity is something to strive for, in this day we live in everyone is about themselves so unity can be difficult. It is hard to find two people that can walk together in unity because of different agendas or pride. When it does happen there is joy and the things that can be accomplished are great. You see conflict in the church so much and if we were walking in unity we would see the world lit on fire because of God's love. When Jesus prayed for us he said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love one for another. We need to repent and humble ourselves so that we can work together for the kingdom of God. If the world saw us in unity they would be drawn to the love of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbygail15 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Why is dwelling together in unity so difficult? It is so hard because living in unity can only be achieved by being full of the Holy Spirit and that requires a 100% commitment to Jesus Christ. We are so entangled in this world that achieving unity will never happen. Unity can only happen when believers put into practice the fruit of the spirit a found in the book of Galatians 5:22-23. This is the commitment required of us. How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? To me the conflict comes from how we view each of these principles. Unity brings to mind our relationship with others while purity brings to mind our individual relationship with God. I believe we tend to think of them as two separate principles when in fact they are very tied together. A life of purity includes all one the ingredients necessary to achieve a life of unity. I hate to sound like a broken record but again Galatians 5:22-23. Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus teaching? I think Jesus placed so much value on these two items because they are the windows to the world. This is the way unbelievers see the different in the church and want these values in their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinstonY Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? I like the theme of unity. St. Paul tells us God in Christ all are one-There is no Greek or Jew neither slave or free, neither male or female. Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? The dwelling together in unity is especially difficult in this age as we are so very much influenced by the Age of Reason and its tendency towards individualization. This tendency in our civilization has caused Great difficulties because it has caused splinters to occur in places where there should be a unity and togetherness. Our faith is one off both individuality and Brotherhood for Jesus did appear to Mary on a individual basis but they also appear to the disciples in a group. What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? Unity requires both forgiveness and understanding- characteristics of Jesus and of his ministry. How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? I do not see that unity and Purity are in conflict with each other. Otherwise they would not have such a high place in the teaching of Jesus. It seems to me that one of the main characteristics of the Holy Trinity is that of unity. Although we speak of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit these are truly just the one. Just the one I got with 3 different facets with which humans can identify. The God as the trinity is so far beyond our human understanding that we cannot comprehend and therefore the father's begin to speak of the Trinity as a godhead of 3 - father, son and Holy Spirit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Joanne Posted May 22, 2017 Report Share Posted May 22, 2017 On August 18, 2007 at 10:56 AM, Pastor Ralph said: Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? This Psalm is speaking to the heart of how Jesus wants us to live. As followers of Jesus we must live together in close harmony in one community. This is difficult as even as Christians we disagree on even the simplest things; such as what songs to sing, ways to worship. We must give up ourselves or bring ourseleves into unity and acknowledge that there are differences, but remember the only thing we should agree on is to love the Lord our God and love each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulhoward Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 What attracts me to this Psalm is the oil, which symbolises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It's a picture of revival, something of which we experienced in Burton on Trent. Unity is hard work because we are all affected by our own sin & the devil knows he is defeated if we have unity. We have our histories to contend with, past hurts not dealt with, & lies we have ended up believing about other people. Pride often stops us from admitting when we are wron & most of us don't want to be the first one to make a move in repairing a relationship. The commitments it requires of us is to make sure we use the Lord's Prayer & forgive others on a regular basis. It also requires me to always make the first move to put right a conflict & not wait for the other person to make the first move. I don't think the principles of unity & purity do clash with each other. Unity & reconciliation are so important because we are to be like the Trinity. They have absolute unity, we are to be Christ's body and we will never be that if we are divided. Also people will not see Christ in us. The Holy Spirit will not be able to flow over us as the body of Christ if there is any disunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godswriter Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? The oil being poured upon the head because it is significant of the Holy Spirit and Blessing of God. I long for that myself blessings that abound in my life. It is so difficult to dwell in unity because we are fallen human beings who all want our own way in life and we forget that we are no longer our own anymore. That is where we need to be reminded by the Lord that we are His. Another thing the enemy longs to destroy the church through strife and division by people wanting their own way. The kind of commitments required of us is stated in Ephesians 4:25-32 25 So then, get rid of lies. Speak the truth to each other, because we are all members of the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t go to bed angry. 27 Don’t give the devil any opportunity to work. 28 Thieves must quit stealing and, instead, they must work hard. They should do something good with their hands so that they’ll have something to share with those in need. 29 Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you. 30 Don’t give God’s Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free from the world of sin. I don’t believe purity clashes with unity. Unity and purity go to together for a reason because we are to be a holy and pure people who live in unity. I believe they are such high values in the Lord’s teaching because we are to stay unified as a church and not be segregated by denominations or beliefs. 31 Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred. 32 Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ. These verses state how we are to live in unity with fellow believers daily not just in a church setting. We need to be willing to admit when we are in the wrong and humbly say so. We need to realize that unity glorifies God. I don’t believe that unity and purity are in conflict with each other. For we are pure and holy people that need to live in unity with each other as well. Unity and reconciliation are important teachings because without reconciliation there can be no unity in a body of believers or the church as a whole. I also believe God doesn’t want us separated by denomination at all. The Lord wants us to be united as one whole church believing in Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie Posted March 21, 2018 Report Share Posted March 21, 2018 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? The oil being poured out in abundance on Aaron’s head and comparing it to being in unity and harmony with one another. The fact that it runs down and drenches him and how God wants us to be. Dwelling in unity is difficult when you have people of many different cultures and opinions. It is hard sometimes to come to an agreement when everyone has their own idea what should be done. We often think others should agree with everything we suggest. We fail to see that God has created us like that; with everyone being different and having different ideas and ways of doing things. We tend to get stuck in our limited way of thinking instead of being open to other solutions or suggestions. Also, people have different personalities and temperaments. Sometimes personalities clash and it takes time to work it out. The more diverse it is the more time you must spend in trying to compromise or agree on something. We cannot all do the same thing in ministry or in church; we need to acknowledge others’ gifts and talents and be more accepting of their quirks. I believe unity requires taking time to get to know our brothers and sisters better. It requires sacrifice on our parts to spend time with them and be willing to go the extra mile. It requires patience in our part to accept people’s little quirks and not nitpick them to death. We need to focus on loving one another and building each other up. It requires learning to be humble and loving and not insist on our own way. It requires us to be honest with ourselves and each other and admitting when we are wrong. Admitting when we have hurt our brother or sister and then asking them for forgiveness. Finally, it requires us to be close to God and obedient to what He wants us to do. We need to be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh. I believe that unity and purity conflict because some churches think because of their doctrine or beliefs they need to be separate from everyone else. They think that they have the truth and others do not. So, to stay pure, they stay away from other churches of different doctrines. Then, they refuse to mingle with others and people see them as haughty and proud or even hypocritical. This leads to hard feelings between the different churches and believers. When Jesus want all of us to be as one like He and the Father were. I believe that reconciliation and unity are highly esteemed by Jesus because without unity we cannot be as effective. Without reconciliation between brothers and sisters the world will never see His love. We will be no different than them if we refuse to forgive each other’s offenses. Jesus said that if we hate our brother then how can we love Him? God the Father, Jesus His Son, and the Spirit were in unity. While Jesus was on earth He obeyed God, and showed His love to us by dying on the cross. He reconciled us to God and we must be reconciled to one another and be in unity in order to be His witnesses and ambassadors on earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MICHELLE OXLEY Posted May 17, 2018 Report Share Posted May 17, 2018 study of Psalms.docx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosesam Posted March 17, 2019 Report Share Posted March 17, 2019 Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? This psalm speaks so much on unity and the anointing that comes from dwelling in unity. The anointing oil starts with the head and flows down even to the hem of the garment. Jesus is the Head of the church and we are His Body. This psalm reminds so much what Jesus said, I am the vine and you are the branches, abide in Me that you may bear much fruit. There is an anointing that comes from just dwelling in unity and abiding with our Lord. For unity, sometimes there will be a requirement of death to self, ego and letting go of one’s rights. There is a lot of flesh still resident in our lives. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we can let go of self and allow Him to bring about that unity in the Body of Christ. For purity, it is essential to keep ourselves set apart. Not to get absorbed into people whose ideas holy living may be different than what the scriptures advice. But unity is about setting aside the differences and walk holding hands together. The concern is in understanding where the boundaries lie and where it is okay to tread on, when it comes to matters of holy living. Unity is an issue that’s very important to the Father. As parents ourselves, we want unity among our children and are grieved when there is a lack of it among them. We being evil, when we desire unity, how much more our Holy God. Also unity is a witness to the world. Jesus in His priestly prayer, prays for unity among His disciples. He says that it is through love and unity that the world will know that we are His disciples and belong to Him. We are to function as a body and then the anointing that flows from the head would flow into every parts of the body if we are connected to the head and to each other. But if we behave as dismembered parts, we not only lose our testimony, but our empowerment is affected and we grieve the Father. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francine Douglas Posted April 29, 2023 Report Share Posted April 29, 2023 What about this short psalm seems to attract you? The essence of unity is captured in this Psalm as if a river flowing, from the head which symbolizes a made up mind. The flow continues mto the beard symbolizing a process of strength and wisdom. Then, to the collar of the robe symbolizing honour. Where unity abides, it reflects a heart that is determined, treasures wisdom and is strong in the Lord. Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? Because outside of the spirit of peace and humility, people’s background experiences differ which has helped to shape their personalities and mindset. Also, selfishness and pride is another big issue that goes against the grain of unity. What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? Unity requires that we commit to a life of total surrender to God, practicing the fruits of the spirit according to 1 Corinthians 13 with a servant heart. How do the principles of unity and purity seem to conflict with each other? God's love is the premise on which unity and purity rests. Without unity there can be no purity. The strive for unity among brethren remain a constant struggle which exposes how easily we can be found wanting as believers where purity is concerned. Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? I think a high value is placed on reconciliation and unity because love is the center pole of each and the foundation of Jesus’ teaching is love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 Unity must be a gift of God -- not a goal for which Christian people on earth strive -- or it inevitably morphs into bureaucracy. The Catholic Church and many larger Protestant denominations are held together by rules, regulations and even force. The ecumenical movement in the US that was so popular until about 2000 became mired in arcane details about what a Lutheran could do in a Presbyterian pulpit, etc. Unity as a goal, then, simply doesn't succeed. Perhaps unity should be thought of in smaller contexts such as within a family, church or small group. In these groups the psalmist's praise of unity rings true. If we get along well with the people closest to us, and then, like concentric circles act like a family with those farther from us, unity will slowly be achieved. In practice, then, unity isn't a big, overarching concept, but humbly and peacefully enjoying the people in your smallest of social circles. -- Jesus struggled to maintain unity among the disciples. When the disciples were jockeying for position within the "hierarchy" of the disciples, Jesus told them that the least would be greatest. James and John, with the scheming of their mum, wanted to sit at the right and left hand of God! And Peter never stopped trying to promote himself past the others. So, here's a clue to unity -- humility. In Jesus' words: "He who is least among you is greatest of all." Ultimately unity starts in a humble heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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