A fortnightly column on marriage, family and relationships.
How good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity (Psalm 133:1). Nothing blesses my heart more as a mother than to see my children working together, not fighting, but genuinely helping each other towards a goal. If one of them has a problem or a weakness others rise to help them. Seeing that as mother really tugs at my heart strings.
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This past week, I witnessed that as my children worked together in making one of their favourites — milkshakes.
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My daughter, aged 10, is better at cooking than her brothers. We call her Miss Chef because she absolutely loves cooking. Miss Chef agreed with her older brother, aged 13, that between the two of them they would buy the ingredients needed and my daughter would take the lead in the kitchen and make milkshakes for all of us.
There was no fighting; no one came to report to me, crying about something that happened in the kitchen. All I saw was teamwork as they helped each other make something that they were all looking forward to having. I must say I loved drinking that delicious cold milkshake in the hot Pretoria weather.
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Subjected to the reports and state of our hearts
Knowing how good it makes me feel every time my children work together and every time they are caring and loving towards each other it makes me have some understanding of how God must feel when we are united as His children.
How He is not subjected to prayer after prayer of “reports” from one of His kids reporting another or reporting others “they don’t like me at that church”; “that pastor is this and that” … the list is endless.
I often say God has the hardest job. No sleep and you have to be putting so many fires out helping your children and making sure all is going well. Unlike us, God can see everything. Not only is He subjected to the reports but He also sees the state of our hearts.
He can see unforgiveness; the lying; the uncaring; and yes unfortunately, the hatred. One can pretend to her sisters all she wants but the Father is the One who knows what you truly feel for your fellow brother and sister.
Unlike when one of my kids comes to me with a report against one sibling, God can see when I have a problem against one of my brothers and sisters. He can see it in my eyes and in my heart. He can see when I am thinking evil thoughts towards them and it must really be pleasing when I think thoughts of love and forgiveness; care. When I wish them good and not evil, when I pray for God to bless them and mean it, when I extend a hand of grace towards them.
How good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity. This verse goes further and likens brotherly unity to anointing oil (Psalm 133:2 It is like precious oil poured on the head), which symbolises the presence of God. When we live together in unity as His children not only is it pleasant but we quench the thirst of the souls of those who are watching us.
Nothing that we cannot achieve when united
This past weekend it was Passover weekend. We remembered our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross and celebrated His resurrection.
At my local church we went through some trying times last year where we unfortunately saw some of our members leave the church. We are a small group that remained from that challenging period.
This year our church was asked to host three other churches from our district for Passover celebrations. It was beautiful to watch how we all came together. Everybody did their part in making the Passover Celebration weekend a huge success.
From the cleaning of the church prior to Good Friday; being there day in and day out last week as we were busy with the preparations; to the decorations that were put at church by our members; to the cooking team that cooked amazing food Friday through to Sunday; to the cleaning up after every service in preparation of the following service; cleaning the toilets; to the ultimate cleaning up after all the other churches had gone.
What we were able to achieve looked insurmountable when we were told that we would be the ones hosting this year’s Passover Celebrations. We looked at ourselves; small in number compared to the crowd of people we would be hosting. We prayed for strength and prayed above all for unity within our members. We knew that there would be nothing that we could not achieve if we were united and focused.
All of us were united and all of us did what we could and worked together towards a goal. It was pleasant to watch with my naked eye and I could just imagine how good it was for the Father to see.
We received reports from those who attended that they did not want to leave because the presence of God was evident in that church and in those services. It is truly a beautiful thing when people of God work together.
It is an increasingly worrying thing to see so many questionable things happening in the church of God especially the church in South Africa with people being fed snakes and eating grass to drinking petrol.
The body of Christ seems divided and fighting within itself. The body of Christ seems confused and many are leaving our churches. With all of the challenges that we face in this country it is a beautiful thing indeed when you witness brethren living and working together in unity.
A fresh wave of hope
There is fresh wave of hope in our country that is moving through every province. The true sons of God are rising all across the country, Black, white, coloured and Indian, they are rising with one united voice and focus to deal with the evil that has plagued our country.
What is happening this weekend in Bloemfontein is proof that the time has now arrived for His people who are called by His name to come together in unity and cry out to the Father to intervene in our land.
It is a good and pleasant thing when brethren come together.
This Saturday, April 22 2017, Christians from across South Africa will gather in Bloemfontein to pray for South Africa. Evangelist Angus Buchan expects more than a million people will gather in Bloemfontein to seek the Father’s face, UNITED; TOGETHER; STRONG; WITH ONE VOICE saying that Lord we are putting our differences aside and working together to see change in our nation!!!!
When we are united I do believe that we will see change in our land. We will have the blessing of God. Our unity is pleasant to the Father and He commands a blessing. This He has promised and He is no man that He should lie!
Numbers 23:19 (KJV) God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
Let us commit to be more united not only as families but as fellow brethren in the Lord and watch God perform the unthinkable miracles we are all praying about. ITS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shalom!!!!
