"One in Christ"
May 27, 2019
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
~ Psalm 133:1-2 (ESV)
The recipe is given in Scripture. God gave the people of Israel detailed instructions concerning the oil to be used in consecrating the tent of meeting, its utensils and furnishings, and in the anointing of the high priest Aaron and his sons. The list of ingredients called for liquid myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, aromatic cane, cassia and olive oil, all in specific amounts. It was a sacred, precious oil, never to be poured on the body of an "ordinary person" (see Exodus 30:23-33).
Equally precious, as precious as that rich anointing oil, is unity among the people of God. Such unity is a blessing, rich and overflowing, like the anointing oil that flowed over Aaron's head and spilled onto his beard and robes. Jesus, our High Priest, prayed for that kind of unity among His followers. He asked His Heavenly Father to keep them in His Name, praying that His followers might be one just as Jesus and His Father are One (see John 17).
We are united and we are anointed, but not with oil. We have been anointed by the water, Word, and Spirit in Baptism: "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13). The individual members of the one body of Christ are arranged by God for the good of all. As members in this unified body, we are to care for one another with the self-sacrificing love and care that Christ our Head has for us. If one member suffers, all of the members of the body suffer; if one member is honored, all of the members rejoice in the honor.
The unity we share is a gift of the Holy Spirit, an answer to the prayer of Jesus, our great High Priest. It may be, at times, that the unity we enjoy is shaken as we fail to walk in love as Christ walked. Yet, as we forgive one another and share—openly, visibly, joyfully—in the unity that is ours in Christ Jesus, it is good and pleasant and as precious as the rich oil of anointing poured onto Aaron's head, the sacred oil that ran down his beard and onto his robes.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, forgive us when we do not live in unity as You intended. Lead us to live within the good and pleasant fellowship to which You have called us. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
The recipe is given in Scripture.
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