Scripture: "no one can say, "Jesus is Lord", except by the Holy Spirit" (12:3)
Observation: What a powerful statement of unity. We, the members of the church, are different in our creation in God's image and we are endowed with different gifts from the Holy Spirit for different purposes (12:7-11). But we are one in Christ. And anyone who professes that Jesus is Lord has the same Spirit within them.
Application: I really like this verse, so part of the application for me is appreciating it. But also, the application for me is to be reminded of the powerful unity that I have with fellow believers in the Spirit. I live in a culture that is highly individualistic and on some level I am raised to focus on differences and to praise individual accomplishments. But that is not God's way. God's way is to bring together different parts through "the same Spirit" (v11) to do His will together "just as He determines" (v11).
Prayer: Lord, your son's own prayer calls for unity: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." Let this be my prayer, too!
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