The Glory of Unity

I have rejoiced often in the unity Jesus prayed that we would have. To me, there is a reward of unity. If we embrace this unity and refuse to let the poison that Satan spreads to prevent it, we open ourselves to receive the answer to Jesus' prayer. John 17:22-23 (NASB) 22"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

I have given you this translation for it says "perfected in unity" instead of "perfect unity". Yes, the unity we receive is perfect, but we are perfected in that unity. We have a lot of surrendering of self, learning to keep our mouths shut, learning when to speak, learning compassion and mercy from our Savior when we surrender to unity. We learn to respect others and what God has given to them but not to us, we learn to need and to minister to need, we learn to give and to receive. This unity is a tool in our perfection that God uses.

Jesus said that this is the evidence that the Father sent Him into this realm and that the Father loves us even as the Father loves Jesus. To see and marvel at this unity is more effective than witnessing miracles. I have seen great miracles but seldom does a miracle bring the conviction that leads to salvation as the love that reaches out to include. God is love and He is bringing us into His likeness. Love must be the very essence of all we are and do. In seeking to be like Him, let the prayer of faith lay hold of His love to be in you as the center of your being so that it becomes the motivation of your actions. His love does not hesitate to sacrifice to reach out, nor does His love limit what we can become in Him. We need to love as He loves.