What Brings Unity
Coming together to pray; asking God to bring an enlightened understanding; asking God to fill hearts with love where there has been strife. Stop thinking about the objectionable things in your brothers and sisters.
"(NKJV) 28 But let a man examine himself,..."
Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV) 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
James 4:11-12 (NKJV) 11 "Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?"
"If brethren would meet together once or twice a week, and with humble minds, feeling their weakness and realizing their defects, would then ask the Lord to enlighten their understanding and fill their hearts with His love, examining not one another, but the Scriptures, Satan would be defeated. Many imaginary difficulties, mere molehills that have been magnified into mountains and have made barriers between brethren, would vanish, and love, compassion, and respect would take the place of jangling and accusation. When you begin to judge your brethren, you are doing a work God has not given you to do. You are not working with Christ. God did not place you upon the judgment seat to measure and pronounce sentence upon your brethren." { 1888 1087.2 }
"How much sweet peace we lose because we keep poring over the disagreeable items in ourselves and in our brethren. We must look away from the disagreeable to Jesus. We must love Him more, obtain more of His attractive beauty and grace of character, and cease the contemplation of others’ mistakes and errors. We should remember that our own ways are not faultless. We make mistakes again and again, and should others watch our every word and every action as diligently as we watch them, they would present a catalogue fully as dark as we are able to present against our brethren and sisters. No one is perfect but Jesus. Think of Him and be charmed away from yourself, and from every disagreeable thing, for by beholding our defects faith is weakened. God and His promises are lost from sight." { 1888 1089.1 }
"You need more of Jesus and less of self. Think no evil, talk no evil of anyone. Keep your lips as with a bridle. You cannot measure others’ experiences by your own. It would be a deplorable thing if everyone was of the same mind. What if in some respects we do err, does the Lord forsake us, and forget us, and leave us to our own ways? No, the Lord does not treat us as we treat one another. May the Lord help you all to repent and confess, and let the love of Jesus pervade your hearts. Jealousy is all ready to spring into existence at the least provocation. Envy and evil surmising are ready to flourish, ready to grow by being cultivated. Oh, how many hurt the heart of Christ because they want their own way and their own will. War against these unenviable traits of character, and not against one another." { 1888 1089.2 }
"Love for your erring brethren will produce far greater effect in reforming them than all your harsh criticisms. Let all the faults and emotions of the heart be after Christ’s order. Let self be put out of sight. The Lord would have the thoughts and the language and the experience of Christian life far more attractive than it is today. If they are not more like Jesus they can never be the light of the world. Our work is between God and our own individual souls. What are you thinking of, my brethren? There is work to be done in the saving of souls around you, and precious time is passing. The hours of probation will soon close. Is your work for the Master of that character that you will hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” ( Matthew 25:21)? { 1888 1093.2 }
Jesus wants us to be united. We need to be as merciful and gracious to others as we want to be treated. Instead of focusing on the issues and the objectionable features of those around us, spend time praying and studying the Scriptures together. As a result unity will come.