The Power of Oneness
Jesus said…
“I and the Father are One [in essence and nature]” (John 10:30 AMP).
God created the idea of oneness, not to isolate, disconnect or separate us from one another. But, for us to come together in harmony and in unity, to become one with Him. Being in Oneness with God is a thing of beauty. It means being intentional and unified, and it is extremely powerful. It requires agreement, connection, cohesiveness, and harmony and it can create amazingly miraculous results.
A good illustration of oneness would be to watch ants working as a team. They work in synchronized oneness for the benefit of the entire colony. They line up in soldierly form, tunneling, some carrying food and others looking for food.
Sports teams with many moving parts work together effectively to accomplish goals. Players work together in oneness to get a victory. Of course, there are superstars, but the true superstars play thoughtfully and unselfishly, and will even forfeit an opportunity to shine to give the team a sure score.
Don’t you love how oneness is displayed by synchronized swimmers? It is so amazing to see swimmers working synergistically in oneness and harmony, it is so awe-inspiring, glorious, and extremely powerful.
Marriages flourish and grow when couples are on the same page and in oneness. Relationships are stronger when two work together.
The Bible says:
AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so that they are no longer two, but [are united as] one flesh (Mark 10:8).
There are so many more examples that hone in on the point of the power of oneness. It is a principle that encompasses many of the fruits of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23).
Oneness is so incredibly effective and works so well in most cases, especially when used with godly intent. Sadly, we know how oneness which can be so good, can be used by the enemy for evil, as in Genesis 11:5-7:
Now the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one [unified] people, and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do [in rebellion against Me], and now no evil thing they imagine they can do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) go down and there confuse and mix up their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” The people were one in harmony and unity, and it made them unstoppable. God said that nothing they do will be impossible. However, their intent was that of pride and rebellion. So, He put a stop to it by confusing and mixing up their language so they could not understand each other. He took away their oneness.
Jesus knows the power of oneness. He wants us to be one with Him so the World will believe in Him. He was so connected to the Father that He knew God’s will and expressed it in the following Scriptures:
“… that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me” (John 17:21).
Lord, I pray that we become intentional in our agreement with You and your Word. Let us be one with You as You and the Father are one. Lord, unify Your people so that our oneness will cause the world to believe and come together. Take away division, barriers, deception, and anything that separates us from one another and most of all from being one with You.
Today’s Devotions
January 4
Genesis 1:31 31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.
God made everything very good because He is good. The psalmist tells us, You are good, and what you do is good; Psalms 119:68a (NIV). Man was placed in a perfect environment with all that he could possibly need. Evil did come into the world and ruin this ideal setting. When we deliberately block the light, there is darkness. The darkness is not a thing in itself, but the absence of light. In our world man is all too ready to blame God for the darkness, for evil. But we see that, from the beginning, all that God had made was very good. If we recognize that good is from God and the evil (darkness in the world) is the result of turning from Him, we would not be so quick to blame on God. How it would change our attitude toward our daily circumstances if we believed God’s intentions and plans for us are good!
If we truly believe that, we would strive to be in the Light and walk in His plans for us. How is it that we are so easily led to think that we have a better idea or plan for our lives than God’s? Are you avoiding some good thing God has for you? It is not always easy, but it is good, very good. Enjoy the good things of creation in moderation, and live in all the good that He has planned for you. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Prayer: Help me to see Your goodness in everything You bring into my life.
Streams in the Desert – January 4
- 20234 Jan
Jesus saith unto him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way” (John 4:50).
When ye pray, believe (Mark 11:24).
When there is a matter that requires definite prayer, pray till you believe God, until with unfeigned lips you can thank Him for the answer. If the answer still tarries outwardly, do not pray for it in such a way that it is evident that you are not definitely believing for it. Such a prayer in place of being a help will be a hindrance; and when you are finished praying, you will find that your faith has weakened or has entirely gone. The urgency that you felt to offer this kind of prayer is clearly from self and Satan. It may not be wrong to mention the matter in question to the Lord again, if He is keeping you waiting, but be sure you do so in such a way that it implies faith.
Do not pray yourself out of faith. You may tell Him that you are waiting and that you are still believing Him and therefore praise Him for the answer. There is nothing that so fully clinches faith as to be so sure of the answer that you can thank God for it. Prayers that pray us out of faith deny both God’s promise in His Word and also His whisper “Yes,” that He gave us in our hearts. Such prayers are but the expression of the unrest of one’s heart, and unrest implies unbelief in reference to the answer to prayer. “For we which have believed do enter into rest” (Heb. 4:3).
This prayer that prays ourselves out of faith frequently arises from centering our thoughts on the difficulty rather than on God’s promise. Abraham “considered not his own body,” “he staggered not at the promise of God” (Rom. 4:19, 20). May we watch and pray that we enter not into temptation of praying ourselves out of faith.
–C. H. P.
Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at His Word.
–Christmas Evans
A mighty Saviour
By: Charles Spurgeon
“Mighty to save.” Isaiah 63:1
Suggested Further Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28
Remember the case of John Newton, the great and mighty preacher of St. Mary, Woolnoth,—an instance of the power of God to change the heart, as well as to give peace when the heart is changed. Ah! dear hearers, I often think within myself, “This is the greatest proof of the Saviour’s power.” Let another doctrine be preached: will it do the same? If it will, why not let every man gather a crowd round him and preach it? Will it really do it? If it will, then the blood of men’s souls must rest upon the man who does not boldly proclaim it. If he believes his gospel does save souls, how does he account for it that he stands in his pulpit from the first of January till the last of December, and never hears of a harlot made honest, nor of a drunkard reclaimed? Why? For this reason, that it is a poor dilution of Christianity. It is something like it, but it is not the bold, broad Christianity of the Bible; it is not the full gospel of the blessed God, for that has power to save. But if they do believe that theirs is the gospel, let them come out to preach it, and let them strive with all their might to win souls from sin, which is rife enough, God knows. We say again, that we have proof positive in cases even here before us, that Christ is mighty to save even the worst of men—to turn them from follies in which they have too long indulged, and we believe that the same gospel preached elsewhere would produce the same results. The best proof you can ever have of God’s being mighty to save, dear hearers, is that he saved you.
For meditation: Does the church today lack the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:29) because the church is ashamed of the fullness of the gospel, which is God’s power to save all who believe (Romans 1:16)?