Have you ever seen an orchestra perform? As many as one hundred of the highest caliber of musicians are there, tuning their instruments. Standing in front of these experts is one man. Armed with the same sheet music as every other performer, he taps his baton on the music stand and all the seasoned professionals wait. Why? Every one of the musicians is more than capable of playing as a solo artist. Everyone in the orchestra can read their own sheet music, thank you very much. How dare that one man with a stick try to tell them how to interpret it! Yet all their eyes are on him, and when the baton is lowered they all play together as one. Together they achieve something they could never reach on their own. The fusion of all their efforts can only truly be experienced when you are there, in unity with the orchestra.

This unity, this state of being one, is not an easy thing to achieve. Like a master musician, we never outgrow the need for it and we never cease to reap its benefits. Without it we have division, which cannot coexist with harmony. Paul even instructs us to avoid those who cause divisions (Romans 16:17). In order to grow, we must learn to live in unity. With unity, we can accomplish more with synergy than we could individually. Unity is imperative.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”  – Psalm 133:1

People around the world find it within themselves to unite with each other and accomplish things that would be impossible for just one. Feats of precision and skill are carried out faithfully because of their devotion to craft, culture, or community. We should certainly recognize these accomplishments, but they should also cause us to examine ourselves. If others can live in unity for the sake of perishable human creations, how much more should we be willing to work for unity as the servants of God?