A Pause To Ponder God's Word
"Together We Stand"

The house was beautiful, even though not yet completed. There were a couple places where the framing was still visible. One such place was under the stairway. The evening of Christmas fellowship was coming to a close when someone noticed a peculiar stud in that very spot. He called for us to come and see. We looked up to find the two outer studs were laminated. I mentioned that the only time I had ever seen laminated lumber like this was in church buildings that had laminated arches supporting the roof. One of our group was a contractor and he noted that though these were unusual there were the wisest, strongest way to support the steps. He informed the inquisitive group that laminated wood is much stronger that a single piece of lumber. He emphasized this fact by noting that these studs would probably outlast the house.

Just hours before Jesus made His way to the cross, He prayed for His followers. He prayer for us! One of His petitions to the Father that night, was that His disciples would be "brought to complete unity," made one even as He and the Father were one. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, refers to this oneness as "a profound mystery." Our understanding of our oneness in Christ Jesus is woefully lacking. But, our lack of understanding does not negate its reality. We have oneness in Christ Jesus! Our responsibility is to flesh out this oneness, this unity. Standing in the stairway that evening, looking up at a laminated stud, I realized afresh one thing about our oneness in Christ -- one of its purposes is to make us strong. Together we can stand, even when everything else is crumbling in around us.

Once, when accused of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, Jesus challenged His accusers with a proverb; "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." The positive side of this statement is true as well. Namely, that any kingdom that is unified will stand. Yet, what could ever unify the likes of you and I? A cause? Our humanity? A political position? Our common ancestry? If history has taught us anything, it has taught us that there is no earthly human "glue" that can bind people together in true unity. There is only one way for a people to be brought to complete unity - to be laminated together -- Christ Jesus! In Him "the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. He gives His people gifts "so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. The we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."

Beloved, we are one in Christ Jesus. We must never allow the powers of evil to divide us. We can, by the power of God's indwelling Spirit, put our oneness in Christ into action. Brother and sister in the Lord, let's do so!

Keep Close To Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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