THE LOST ART OF RELATIONSHIP
There is an excellent example of the unity I believe God desires for His children to have with each other found in Acts 4:32–35. It says:
“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.” Walking in unity as believers does not mean we all move to a commune or compound in Texas and survive until Jesus comes back. Unity means loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
There are three critical thoughts about unity that can assist us in our community. This practical list comes straight out of Scripture; the principles can be applied to other areas of your life as well.
1. Unity is relational.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” (Col. 3:1–4)
This passage encourages us to set our hearts and minds on things above, where Jesus is. Unity begins with the gospel message, the message of hope that inspires us to get our relationship with God in the right place. Once we have our hearts and minds set on things above, we can then focus on the relationships we have with others here on earth. Notice how this refers us back to the two greatest commandments.
We cannot live this life without engaging in relationships with others. We are continually being relational at home, at work, with friends, with clients, with customers, the checker at the grocery store, the teller at the bank, and also at the church. Every aspect of our lives is relational with others!
Our lives are expressed in two ways: We have time , and we have abilities (talents). All of us have twenty-four hours in a day and seven days a week; how we spend that time is very important.
Let’s first understand a little about time. Time is what we call a “valuable commodity.” Psychologists bill by the hour. Their hours are limited and must be