
31 DAYS OF UNITY CAMPAIGN
DAY SIXTEEN
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1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
God's transformative work in the world starts with His work among us, His Church. Therefore, as God begins to work within us, we become fully aware of the calling on our lives to restore that which is broken: our relationships, our communities, and the Body of Christ. The increasing divisions and animosities within the church highlight our urgent need to listen to and respond to this call. In the passages for (re)new, we are listening for the voice of the Spirit that is seeking to heal the Body of Christ.
As you reflect on the passage for the day, ask yourself these questions:
Where did you stop in the passage? What word or phrase jumps out to you?
What vision for the church did you find in the passage? What hopefulness for the church?
Where does our work of unity begin?
TODAY’S PRAYER
Create in us clean hearts, O God, that we may learn to be your people, and live in unity with one another. Give us the gift of humility and strengthen us to live in sacrificial love for one another. May we glorify you by being peacemakers in a world of division. Amen
Commentary: (Re)new
Video Reflection
Today’s video reflection is from Dr. David Corey, Professor of Political Philosophy at Baylor University.