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THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133).   As we read in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, we find that an important feature of the early church was their love and unity.  The Greek word “homothumadon,” which occurs 10 of its 12 times in Acts and is translated “accord,” means “of one mind, or, of one passion,” and is used to describe the bond that existed between the believers.   This unity in the Spirit that the early church enjoyed was like the blend of instruments in a great orchestra: each sounding their various parts, but all blending harmoniously into a mighty symphony, each note complementing every other. ...
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TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED

“And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. ” (Luke 4:21 NKJV).   Jesus had just been in the wilderness for forty days of fasting.  It was the Spirit of God that led Him there.  At the end of His fast Satan tried to divert the Lord from the purpose that He had been sent to earth to fulfill.  Of course, Satan failed in his attempts, and Jesus returned out of the wilderness "in the power of the Spirit" and entered into Galilee.   At that time Galilee was one of three provinces in Palestine - Judea and Samaria were the other two.  It was referred to as "Galilee of the Gentiles" because of the large percentage of Gentiles that inhabited the area.  To say that the "purer" Israelites of Judea looked down their noses at the Galileans, and felt superior to them, would be an understatement.  When Philip first told Nathaniel about Jesus, Nathaniel’s comment was, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?"...
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TRUTH IN THE INWARD PARTS

"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom." (Psalm 51:5).   God desires that we be honest with Him.  He is interested in both what we do, and why we do it.  Our actions may seem good on the surface, but the Lord searches out our innermost intentions.  He examines our motives to see if our works are wrought in Him, or are "self" propelled.  In another Psalm, David says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23, 24).  David realized that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; therefore we need the Lord's help in discerning what makes us tick.   In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Paul explains that if he were to possess the faith to move mountains, or give all that he had to the poor, or even give himself up as a martyr to the Lord, yet, if he di...
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