Fighting for Unity in a Divided WorldSample

Common Ground

Yesterday, we took a look at our differences. Today, we’re looking at what we all have in common.

• We’re all images.
• We’re all infected.
• We’re all invited.

We’re all images. Every single one of us is a human being. To be human means to be made in the image and likeness of God. This is the beauty of the Christian story. The first page of the Bible answers the questions, “Do I matter? Is my life valuable? Does my life have a purpose?” with a resounding, “Yes!” In the very beginning, we are told that God created human beings in His image with dignity, value, and purpose. This means that no matter what you look like, what you’ve done, what you believe, or who you vote for, your life matters because you are made in the image of God.

This is true of all of us. Even when we don’t act like it. All of us are made in God’s image.

We’re all infected. Here’s the not-so-fun part. We’re all infected by sin. Sin is a disease of self-centeredness that causes us to see ourselves as greater and others as less than. Our sin wants to blind us to the image of God in others, and the image of God in ourselves. Seeing other people as “less-than” because they have different opinions on the things we care about or even disagree with us politically is just one of the many ways our sin blinds us to the image of God in others.

The disease of sin makes us forget who we are, and it makes us forget whose we are. If we are unaware of the danger of sin, it can be really easy to see them as the problem. But they are never problems to be solved. They are always people to be loved.

Don’t worry, though. There is good news.

We’re all invited. “Do you want to be made well?” This was the question Jesus asked a man who had been sick for many years. This is the question Jesus is asking all of us. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus made a way for us to be healed from the disease of sin and invited us to be a part of God’s plan to make all things new. Paul told us in his letter to the Roman church that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is how God demonstrated His love. He didn’t shout it from Heaven. He showed it in person. That person is Jesus. And now, we’re all invited to be a part of His family.

The people who drive you crazy on Facebook? Jesus died for them, too.

How do we move toward unity and away from division? We value our differences and find common ground.

Pray: God, help me to find common ground with the people I disagree with. Remind me that we are all images of You, we’re all infected by sin, and we’re all invited to follow Jesus.