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A lesson in unity
Jeff WeinkaufPsalm 133
133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity![a]
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
This verse has always appeared pretty straightforward to me. In fact it's often been the "moral of the story" or the key point when a disagreement is going on.
I've even seen it through the filter of guilt at times "just get over it, I mean you don't want to be the reason for the oil to stop flowing down Aaron's beard do you?" Don't be selfish!
Interesting thing though. Just giving up my objection for the sake of unity has at times left the door open to a stealthy kind of bitterness. Sure I'll knuckle under for the "sake of unity" but somewhere deep down I'm still carrying my original objection. At our house we call these "yeah buts".
YEAH brother (or sister) in Jesus, I'll give in this time...BUT we both really know who's right here.
Something I've been learning recently applies directly to this situation.
God often uses people I don't like,
in situations I don't agree with,
to accomplish His purposes.
Well what do you know. You mean God uses that preacher with the approach Im uncomfortable with to somehow make a difference? Yup. You mean that brother I can't STAND can still be used of God? Imagine that.
This truth can have a great impact on how I live out psalm 133.
Submitting outwardly, but remaining defiant or subversive behind closed doors is not unity. It's only the appearance of unity. Only the shell.
When I will allow for the fact that:
God uses people I don't like,
in situations I don't agree with,
to accomplish His purposes,
it removes my option to be bitter and completes what I started when I bent my knee.
That's where unity becomes beautiful. That's when it becomes precious, like the oil flowing down Aaron's beard and onto his robes.
Thank you God for allowing me to learn more about you and your plans. Thank you for including me and showing me you work. Amen
