Happy Trails: Journey Through the Psalms of AscentSample

Each of us in this family of God represent a part of the figure of Christ - a complex body formed of differing gifts, personalities, and preferences. No single member of the Church is of greatest importance, but all are created to work together in the single pursuit of lifting up the head, Jesus. We can be tempted to believe that our part is either irrelevant or too significant. The enemy loves to deceive in either direction. It is our duty to cling to the right perspective about our place and delight in the God-given variety found among us. When we try to homogenize the characteristics of our brothers and sisters into a mold that only our person can fit within, we are seeking to lift up ourselves instead of the Head and foolishly covering the radiant light of His glory that is revealed in the Body.

In this chapter, we see in two brilliant symbols a view of the blessing that is promised by God when His children are obedient to be united together by love. The unity commands the blessing, and the blessing is in being both set apart from the world and covered in the anointing of the Spirit. To live in unity with our fellow believers will produce a life soaked with the presence of the Lord, while a life marked with contention and selfish ambition should never expect to be Spirit-filled.

Let us ask the Lord together today for power to bring forth a more firmly established unity between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ by His grace and for His glory.

1. Have you found your life marked by a filling of the Holy Spirit or the spirit of contention?
2. Within the body of Christ, do you struggle more with believing that you are irrelevant or too significant?
3. How are you specifically hindering unity in your own life with others? Ask the Lord if there is someone that you need to ask for forgiveness.