All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
Joshua 1:16
How the words of Joshua 1:16 must have encouraged Joshua as he took a deep breath, seized the baton of leadership from Moses, and stepped out on the promise of God to take the people of Israel into their Promised Land.
With these words, the people swore allegiance to Joshua. Amidst a history of God’s Old Testament people that is spotty at best, this qualifies as one bright, shining moment—a Camelot moment, if you will.
Whether we lead or follow in Christ’s church, all of us recognize God’s hand of blessing in shaping unity of heart and purpose among his people. How wonderful when our leaders encourage us! How satisfying when we can count on the support of those who work alongside us! A later leader of God’s people, King David, once exclaimed:
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
Psalm 133:1
Godly unity does not mean uniformity. It does not imply mindless conformity. The apostle Paul encourages us to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” even while “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:3, 15).
By this, he implies that love without truth is not really love. By the same token, truth without love is not really truth. Both—committed love and full honesty—work together to forge the kind of unity that pleases God and makes the growth of Christ’s Kingdom possible.
Paul introduces his call for unity by encouraging humility (Ephesians 4:2), the kind of humility Joshua exemplified and Joshua’s followers modeled. This humility forgets about self and ease and who gets the credit. Instead, it focuses on the mission our Savior has given us.
That Savior himself has made true unity possible in sacrificing himself for the times we’ve failed to show love and tell the truth. He “humbled himself,” becoming “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8)!
Lord Jesus, shape in us humility of heart and unity of purpose. Amen.
This devotion is adapted slightly from Shaped to Serve, one of the devotion books in CTA’s Volunteer/Staff Encouragement line. Check it out here!
