“Longing for Unity in the Chaos” by Guest Writer: Karen Roberts

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21 NLT

Unity. I’ll admit it. I don’t pray for unity very often. Yet, this is the reason that Jesus came to earth. He came to restore our relationship with God, to pay the price we owed for our sins. 

Facing the pain and shame of the cross, Jesus prayed that He would glorify God and that God would restore the glory that He had enjoyed with God before the creation of the world. And Jesus prayed for His followers.

Jesus prayed for you and me. He prayed for God’s perfect will, unity between God and believers.

Earlier, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to be crucified, but that they should not be troubled, for He was going to send the Holy Spirit.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:16-17 NLT

Advocate. Guide. With you. In you.

Do you recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life?

Has there been a time when the Holy Spirit’s presence was especially poignant?

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20 NLT

Creation proclaims God’s power and divine nature!

Keith and I led a group of students on a study abroad trip to Vietnam and Cambodia a few years ago. We enjoyed lunch in the bottom of a boat in Ha Long Bay. The excited chatter quieted. One-by-one, the students left their food and climbed the stairs to the deck. Keith and I followed.

Silence. Standing. Sitting. Embracing. Crying. Silence.

The Holy Spirit hovered in the beauty.

I touched a crying man’s shoulder. “It’s so beautiful,” he whispered.

I walked to the back, sat on the deck cross-legged, and prayed. Another asked if I had talked with the crying one. We hugged.

Silence in the power of the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He visited His disciples.

Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:22 NLT

He gave them the Holy Spirit, but they were to wait to proclaim the Good News until the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s power filled them, and about 3,000 people became believers that day.

Have you experienced the power of the Holy Spirit?

What was the result?

Melk Abbey in Austria

More beautiful and precious to the Lord is your body than any man-made temple.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

That high price was the body of Jesus on the cross. He loved us so much that He laid His life down for you and me.

And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:19 NLT

We are caretakers of God’s body, His holy temple.

Have you valued and cared for God’s temple?

Have you honored God with your body?

True worship is surrendering all to God: our bodies, souls, spirits, thoughts, words, actions … all to Him we owe.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1 NLT

As we surrender our bodies, the Holy Spirit transforms the way we think and act. He produces fruit that honors God:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22a-23b NLT

The Holy Spirit unites us with each other and with Jesus, even in the chaos.

KAREN ROBERTS

Jesus, thank You that You sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, teach us, guide us, and transform us. To think that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit is so much more than we can understand. Help us to honor, care for, and surrender all, so that we live in perfect unity with You and each other. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

How has the Holy Spirit worked in your life?

Karen Roberts lives to point people to Jesus. She teaches and writes Bible studies and devotions. Karen and her husband of 50 years speak at marriage conferences and teach Bible studies on marriage. Join Karen on her blog and register for her monthly newsletter that always contains a free download at https://possesshispromises.com. Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karensrobertswriter, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenSRobertsWriter and Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenRobertsKsr.

We thank you, Karen, for contributing to this month’s publication of Titus-two.com and sharing about the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer.

We love you to Heaven and Back, Karen ~~

LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary