17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19 But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
One More Thing
Paul wraps up his entire letter by driving home one last point. Remember, his original purpose in writing was to address divisions between the Jewish and Gentile believers. He has done that. By tying in the Old Testament Law to the value of God’s grace, he’s managed to draw both groups together.
But he knows that Satan loves to see the church divided. And so he warns them to be on their guard. To make sure they do everything to protect their unity.
It’s a warning that we need to heed even today. I believe one of the greatest threats to effective ministry is disunity. When we spend our time and energy battling each other, we have nothing left to present God’s love to the unchurched. Heck, even the Bible tells us that it is our love for each other than shows the unchurched we are Christ’s followers.
So, do your part. All of us. Let’s together protect the unity that we have. In doing so, we crush Satan’s ability to cause turmoil in our midst.
My prayer: Lord, I recognize that there are many great people out there doing wonderful things for you. I am not in competition with them. And so, I stand in unity with all of them. At the same time, I realize that there are times when I will disagree with those who serve at my side. Again, that’s okay. Even in our disagreements, I pray that we would find unity to serve you together. Amen.
Until tomorrow.
