Member-only story
Daily Devotion — John 17 — Jesus Prayed for Unity and Love
Are we setting a tone of unity when we discuss heavy subjects with fellow believers? Are we conducting ourselves in the manner that Jesus prayed we would? We aren’t required to share the same opinions in order to have unity, but we can agree that our shared love for Jesus will dictate how we handle differing views. Have you noticed that the discussion about practically every headline-making topic in our world today (COVID, racism, statues, masks, opening schools vs. distance learning to name just a few) creates bitter disagreement, anger, and sometimes even violence? Not just among non-believers — that’s to be expected because we form our opinions upon very different foundations. I’m talking about ugly division among believers.
Where Is The Unity?
In John 17:20–26, Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father about unity. He prayed for future believers to be unified so that people would be inspired to believe in His Heavenly Father. When we sit with that for a moment, it hits hard. We all have a purpose on this earth: pointing people toward Jesus, and that purpose is benefitted by being a unifying presence. If the beauty of unity shows people who God is and makes Him known, then it’s time to put unifying behavior on the top of our priority list!
