Week of September 1
Harmony
"Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds." ~ 1Peter 3:8 (NLT)
Have you ever been part of a team of any kind and experienced discord? People just didn't agree. Everything felt hard, out of sync and each step of progress was painstaking. Your team wasn't of "one mind." You didn't have harmony.
What did your team do? What was the ultimate outcome? Did they meet their goal on time? Or did they dismantle?
I believe when people come together in the right spirit, there is harmony. When egos bow to God's purpose and when comfort zones succumb to stepping out in big faith, God is able to accomplish much through us. We were made by Him for Him.
In Romans 12:16 (NIV), the Apostle Paul warns us to "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud." The New Living Translation states, "Don't try to act important . . . And don't think you know it all!"
This is love. And God gives grace to the humble. All that's required of us is to do our part.
Harmony means agreement, the Greek translation of which is Sugkatathesis, which means to put together or deposit jointly.
Even if your authority figures overrule your opinion, suggestion or idea, making a decision that you don't like or understand, know that God holds them accountable and the burden is off of you.
Romans 13:3 says, "Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good."
Oftentimes, God uses joint efforts to refine us, to teach us something new, to lend His wisdom and to test our pride. Could it be that God is preparing us for promotion? After all, He exalts the humble.
Consider Joseph. So many of his joint efforts bombed—in the relationship he had with his brothers and in relationships he experienced while in Egyptian captivity—yet in the end, God exalted him above all those who troubled him. And when his brothers came to him in desperation, he extended love to them. He chose to live in harmony once again, even though he could have chosen otherwise. Clearly, God taught him much on the path to promotion.
What is He teaching you?
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
Originally published Sunday, 01 September 2013.
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