Monday, November 24, 2008

Love Dare - Day 30: Love Brings Unity

So, we have a day off from the "hard" stuff!

Can I get a yay?

YAY!!!!!!!

And, here we go ...

"Father, keep them in your name. The name which You have given me, that they may be one even as we are." - John 17: 11


From the very beginning to the very last word (which is "amen" by the way), there is one common theme through the entire Bible. One. It is all about the "one" - and by that I mean the One. Unity, between us and God, between God the Father, Son and Spirit, between the church family, between believers and between a husband and a wife.

One.

First there is the unity between God and mankind. In the Garden it was all good - He created Adam and Even and walked among them. But, ya know, that got messed up. And for the remainder of the Bible God is reaching to regain that fellowship and man is doing the same - although there are times when we are not really sure what it is that we are reaching for! So, Jesus comes to fulfill that unity. He came to give us a way to regain our oneness with the perfect God. And that leads to the unity of the church. And the union between the bride (the church ) and the groom (Jesus).

Did ya catch that - God shows us the expample of unity through a marriage illustration. Because THAT is what marriage is intended to be! An unbroken, loving, trusting, safe haven, true and lasting union.

See how all of that hard stuff from the last few days ties in? Oh Yeah!

And, when marriage is good, strong, lasting and unified, GOD is glorified. And WE are Blessed. Truly and completely Blessed.

So, what would happen in our marriages if we decided to bring unity into them? I am not talking "lighting a candle, what's mine is yours, side by side" kind of unity. I am talking about "putting US above me, living for God and your spouse, nothing comes between us, through thick and thin, we are one flesh, no matter what" kind of unity.

This kind of unity treats any threat against it like a cancer - fighting to the finish to get rid of anything that tries to come between you. And, the weapon in this fight is love. The love that God gives to us and the love, because of what we are taught by Him, that we give to the one we have chosen.

What would happen in our marriages if we determine to never again let our oneness be torn apart?

It would be big, my friends, BIG!

The oneness of the Trinity - unbreakable and unending - can come into your marriage and become a part of your life. Hidden in the day to day, grocery shopping, doctor visiting, carpooling, child rearing, growing old, normality of our lives and homes is the hidden potential to have the kind of unity that God shows us through the Trinity. And with HIM in these lives and in theses marriages, we can truly be one.


TODAY'S DARE
Isolate one area of division in your marriage, and look on today as a fresh opportunity to pray about it. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse. Pray that He would do the same for them. And, if appropriate, discuss the matter openly, seeking God for unity.
Now, this is not gonna be TOTALLY easy. It will require a sacrifice of self ... but we have already worked on that, haven't we!!

I am praying for you! And I believe that you can do this!

See ya tomorrow!

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