{"id":3467,"date":"2016-06-05T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-06-05T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3467"},"modified":"2016-07-04T15:55:23","modified_gmt":"2016-07-04T20:55:23","slug":"choose-to-have-unity-of-the-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3467","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Have Unity of the Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Year of Choices <\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Unity<\/a>Psalms 133:1 says, \u201cHow good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some feel that unity is hard to achieve. I have a solution. If everyone would just agree with me and do things my way, we could be unified. I explained this to my friend. She didn\u2019t agree. She felt unity could be achieved if everyone agreed with her and did it her way. What a dilemma!<\/p>\n

God created us to be different. We have different eyes and hair, shapes and sizes, backgrounds and environments, likes and dislikes. It would be reasonable to assume that we have different points of view and opinions. What will touch the heart of one will not touch the heart of another.\u00a0That\u2019s why God deals with us as individuals.<\/p>\n

Individuality can be a great thing! However, when we try to work with others, being an individualist can divide us, not unite us. We must always remember that what God thinks is more important than what we think. Therefore, we need to be united by God\u2019s Spirit which is more concerned with dwelling together in harmony than pushing through our personal preferences. Ephesians 4:3 tells us if we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit, it brings a bond of peace.<\/p>\n

How does this unity of the Spirit manifest itself? It is filled with God\u2019s love. People guided with God\u2019s love speak gently and with kindness. They don\u2019t judge a matter until they have ALL the facts and they aren\u2019t presumptuous enough to think they have ALL the facts until they\u2019ve done the research. Even then, when it comes to judging others they say, \u201cThere but for the grace of God go I,\u201d instead of adopting an \u201cI\u2019m holier than you\u201d attitude.<\/p>\n

The unity of God\u2019s Spirit is one of cooperation not division. Those filled with God\u2019s Spirit want to be a part of the solution, not just point out the problem. They want to work for the betterment of the whole, not just for what pleases them.<\/p>\n

There are many scriptures showing us what people with this unity look like.<\/p>\n