Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you: but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind
and in the same judgement.” (1 Cor. 1:10)
READ: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
If there will be unity in a family, church or a group of
people, the role of the leader cannot be over emphasized. A leader should be
the unifying force over those he or she leads. In this regard, the leader
should ensure his subordinates’ opposing or dissenting views are harmonized in
a way as to carry all of them along their common objective for being together
in the first place. Unfortunately, some leaders deliberately encourage
divisions, by sowing seeds of discord and turning one subordinate against the
other. They call it divide and rule ‘strategy’. That is satanic! Some leaders
encourage or provide the platform for subordinates to create camps. Not Jesus!
As long as Jesus was physically present, He was the rallying point of unity for
all His disciples. One day, two brothers – James and John brought their mother
to lobby Jesus, so that they would secure the highest positions in Heaven,
right beside the Lord Himself (Matt. 20:20-24). When the other disciples heard
of it, they were very angry! That move could have broken the twelve into
separate camps. But the Lord handled it with wisdom and they remained united
without killing the desire of the Zebedees to attain heavenly greatness.
It is very challenging to unite people with diverse
backgrounds, goals, interests and understanding. However, it is very easy to
cause division. One hallmark of a true leader is that he or she is not easily
carried away by comments or selfish actions of the team he or she is leading,
as the group goal is uppermost in his or her heart. Another person who could
not stand God’s church being broken into camps was Paul. In His days, converts
began to break into at least four different camps right in the church at
Corinth but with wisdom, Paul resolved this and unified Christ’s church. Are
you instrumental to the division of God’s church? You are calling for God’s
judgement. Repent and restitute. Go and meet the people you sowed those seeds
of discord into and compel them to reverse their rebellious acts. This will be
good evidence of your repentance.
KEY POINT:
A body that is dismembered cannot operate as a whole. A part of the body can never be the whole.
Division limits us. Strive for peace and unity
Bible in One year: Ezek. 4-7
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