Real Hope: Unite in HopeSample

## Harmony Together "Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to the command of Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice." (Romans 15:5) If you consider your church family, how would you rate their level of ‘harmony' with one another? Unity is a tricky thing to achieve, especially in the church. We are a mix of people from many different backgrounds and experiences, ages, and stages. It can be hard to relate to one another. Some days we feel tired and just can’t be bothered striking up conversations. So often we let each other down or feel disappointed by others. We are human, stained by sin, and we live with many fractured relationships. So often, we fail to live in harmony, yet we are called to show "family affection to one another with brotherly love" (Romans 12:10). We need to ask ourselves: do we treat those in our church as if they were family? Do we see them as actual brothers and sisters, or just as people we see on a Sunday? Now then, I’m aware many siblings fight, but we are called to love. This takes time and effort. It involves investing in each other and making time for each other. We really do have the ultimate help in this: God has given us His Holy Spirit, which means that we are united together as His people (no matter how we might feel about each other). God is growing each and every one of us, daily, to be more like His Son. He walks with us and allows us to work toward harmony together, to have a united mind and voice. What a wonderful opportunity to be a united people in such a divided world. #### Written by SAM ROBINSON