One Lord!

When you and I were called and responded with a ‘Yes!’ to the calling, we also said ‘Yes!’ to ‘one’ body, ‘one’ Spirit and ‘one’ hope. However, to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, also implies the acceptance of the fact there is only ‘one’ Lord. It was an imperative for Paul to remind his readers that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (1).

If we have surrendered to ‘one’ Lord, unity should be a logical consequence. Even though Paul does not explicitly writes this, I sense that it is ‘written’ between the lines. I have often used the following simple illustration:

If Jesus is in the center and I want to get as close as possible to the center, I will also come closer to all his followers who have the same desire. With this in mind, I wonder if lack of unity between Christians can be a sign that Jesus is not any longer the one and only Lord?

With ‘other’ lords, I do not limit 'lords' to e.g. Mammon (2) or a ‘lord’ that takes domination by causing an unhealthy addiction – the ‘lord’ can simply be myself because I can become the center of my own attention and will do it ‘my way’. My inclination is to take control over my own life. It may even sometimes prove to be safer and more predictable than leaving the control to the one and only Lord and let him lead me wherever it suits him best.

I believe Jesus is so focused on unity that he wants me to surrender what I regard as my indisputable right, so that the unity with other believers is not broken. It is not so hard when I remember all the experiences of the truth that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (3)

‘Manna’ for today:

If Jesus is not my 'one and only Lord', I will lose the momentum in my calling.

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(1) Phil 2:11
(2) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
(3) Rom 8:28