Student Devotion Week 30: A Unified Church: Letter to the Philipians

Key Verse: Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or van conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." It challenges me anytime I see a large group of people coming together for a common purpose. When this happens, it shows that something is more important than their differences-something that transcends personal ambitions. God is trying to build that same spirit of unity in us. One of the things Paul stressed in the prison epistles of Philippians and Ephesians is the unity of church. But how do such different people act in concert? By imitating Christ and following the example he set. What an incredible unified body we'd be if everyone in the church were to follow this example. One day this will be a reality, and we're all going to see it. But until then, God is busy building that unity among us. We're going to take a look at the unity of the church and discover that God truly desires for us to put aside our differences and come together as one universal Church. It's going to require some changes on all parts. But the result will be a sight that will do more than simply confound divisive politicians; it will change the whole world.