One Step Closer

Staying United

1 Peter 3:8-9
"(8) Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate, and humble. (9) Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing because to this you were called so that you may receive a blessing."

A synonym for harmony is unity.
Unity is the state of being one; absence of diversity, harmony, or to be in one accord.

Romans 15:5-6
"(5) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity as you follow Christ Jesus. (6) So that with one heart and one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We need to be united as one body of Christ. There shouldn't be conflict between any of us, and we shouldn't judge others. We are the family of God, nothing should separate us.
One definition of family is: a group of objects united by a significant shared characteristic.
God should be that one significant thing that ties us all together, keeps us as one, and we stay that way with love.

John 15:12
" (15) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"(4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

We are also to be compassionate. We need to be there for one another, not bring each other down, putting ourselves higher than the rest. Help one another. Sympathize... Think about what that person may be going through at home before you pick on them.
Compassion- Sorrow, pity, or feeling of sympathy elicited by the distress or misfortunes of another.