The 268 Declaration
Unity Among Believers that Amplifies His Name
Day 3
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
John 17:20-26
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:3
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:12-14
when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12-17
Love one another.
It seems so simple, and yet all around us, the world bares out a different reality. Day after day, we are confronted with the result of sin and a broken world. Our feeds are full of anger and bitterness, our hearts and minds under a constant barrage of violence and vitriol. Here among more heartache than we were ever intended to absorb, a light shines in the darkness.
“Righteous Father, though the World does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
John 17:25-26
When all around us seems hopeless, we are not without hope. God the Father sent His Son and His Spirit to see it so. As His chosen people, we are equipped to carry that hope with us to wherever we are called to the Glory of God Himself. Clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, our very way of life harkens light amidst the deepest darkness. We, the ambassadors of reconciliation, have every tool available to us that we could ever need.
And yet.
How often we choose a different path. We wander, we horde, we slander and sully. Our sinful nature causes rifts to appear and division to spread like a weed until, at long last, we no longer stand out for our brightness but for our bickering. We are, at times, a house in slow decay at the hands of negligence.
But God.
In His grace, God has offered us the kind of wisdom that comes from Heaven, wisdom that is pure and peace-loving, wisdom that is concrete, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, wisdom that is impartial and sincere. He has called us peacemakers and set before us a harvest of righteousness. God has not abandoned us, leaving us to our own devices. His heart is still turned towards us.
Prayer
God, give me a desire to lift up your name above all other names.