When Unity is Not Valued

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:13)


When unity is not valued, love is not valued.  Usually in the name of some kind of idealism or pure-thought unity is debunked.  So those on the far right care little for the poor and do not wish to associate or be united with them; So those on the far left care little for the rich and those who have earned much with creative ideas and work- not wishing to be united or associate with them.  When all the rich- who have the ability to leave- walk out then the poor are left with no one to help them.
      In the early church everyone was welcomed- rich or poor; slave or free; male or female.  The only people who were not welcomed were those who refused to follow Jesus which boiled down to the immoral or the self-righteous.  The immoral degraded the holiness and purpose of the church while the self-righteous degraded the grace and mercy of the church as well as the purpose and mission of the kingdom of God.
     Politically and religiously- unity is not valued when we forget to value love.  Even words of unity or reconciliation cannot be heard by those who have their minds made up.
      When unity is not valued, division- a basic part of human sin- will be the end result.  Swallowing pride and respecting foundation based values is the negative side of unity.  The positive side is love and being able to do good because you are united.  When unity is not valued love and mission fail. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to care for those who think differently than me.