A story was told
of four oxen which were best of friends. They always kept
close to each other so that in the event of danger, they would
face it together. Together they would fight off any predator.
They travelled together, grazed together and lay down to rest
together. They were absolutely united in all that they did.
A hungry lion
living nearby spotted them and desired to have one of them for
his prey. But he was no match for them. Whenever the lion
tried to attack anyone of them, they would come together with
their tails back to back and their horns facing him. So the
lion thought of another strategy. He would follow and watch
them carefully. Each time he saw one slightly lagging behind,
he would sneak up and whisper to him that the others had been
saying unkind things about him. This he did to each of the
four oxen until finally all four began to feel suspicious and
uneasy with each other. Each of them thought that the other
three were plotting against him. Soon the thought became
unbearable and they began to quarrel with one another until
finally they each went their separate ways. The lion succeeded
in breaking the trust amongst them and was able to prey on
each of them, one by one until they became four tasty meals.
Herein lies an
important lesson for us who are believers. The Bible tells us
that as believers we face danger because "your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour" (1 Pet 5:8). The devil tries in every way
to destroy the unity of the believers by his subtle wiles.
They are so subtle that the unsuspecting believer is not even
aware or conscious of them. And the sad thing is that many
believers fall prey to him. Unity amongst believers is so
important yet so fragile a thing. It must be safeguarded at
all costs and under all circumstances. In His strength and by
His grace we can!
Dearly beloved,
this danger is very real. We must be conscious and realise
that this danger is constantly lurking in our midst. The devil
seeks at every opportunity to whisper doubt in our ears and
create suspicion in our minds. He seeks to make us
presumptuous against one another. He stirs up the pride that
is in us and makes us feel that we are better and more
spiritual than others. Have you ever listened to such a
whisper and somehow believed it? Are you plagued with the
suspicion that others in the church are talking behind your
back and saying things against you? Have you ever doubted the
sincerity of a brother or sister when he or she speaks kindly
to you? Do you have doubts about the leaders in the church? If
your answer is in the affirmative in respect to any of the
above or similar questions, then take heed and do something
about it, lest the devil destroy our unity in Christ. "Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you" (Jas 4:7). Wherefore the
apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:3, "Endeavouring
to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace".
Albert Barnes
commented thus on this passage and I quote, "It refers to
unity of affection, of confidence, of love. It means that
Christians should be united in temper and affection, and not
be split up in factions and parties. It may be implied here,
as is undoubtedly true, that such a unity would be produced
only by the Holy Spirit; and that, as there was but one Spirit
which had acted on their hearts to renew them, they ought to
evince (show or demonstrate) the same feelings and
views."
The word "endeavouring"
means zealously give diligence to. This implies utmost
care and diligence which we must put in so as to guard, to
ensure and to maintain the unity. Did you notice the crack?
Then do something about it — pray and seek to rectify it.
Matthew Henry elaborates thus, "Endeavouring is a gospel
word. We must do our utmost. If others will quarrel with us,
we must take all possible care not to quarrel with them. If
others will despise and hate us, we must not despise and hate
them." How is this done? By submitting to the Holy Spirit
and walking in obedience to God’s Word. In so doing, the
fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in our lives. The
apostle exhorts us to do thus "with all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in
love" (Eph 4:2).
Matthew Poole is
right on the spot on this when he said, "The first step
to this unity is humility, for where that is not, there will
be no meekness nor forbearance, without which unity cannot be
maintained." Pride is a stumbling block to unity. How
often we refuse to acknowledge our own fault even when it is
so evident. How often we refuse to acknowledge that others are
better than us. How often we refuse to forbear the weaknesses
of others. May the Lord help us that "nothing be
done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem other better than
themselves." (Phil 2:3) And learn in a practical way
of "forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as
Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col 3:13).
Dearly beloved,
let’s stand united and in whatever we say or do, let us give
God the glory. Let Him increase and let us decrease. Let us "be
sober, be vigilant" guarding ourselves against the
devil and his agencies which constantly seek to sow seeds of
discord amongst His people. Tengah (and CBPC) is not exempted!
"So help us Lord, and be merciful to us."
