Becoming One

“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

John 17:21


If Jesus was walking the earth today people would say of Him, “He’s the real deal” as Jesus made it pretty simple in determining who He was and claimed to be. Listen to Jesus in His own words in John 10:37-38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Everything Jesus said He would do, He did and every thing Jesus did, He said He would do. Jesus walked the walk and talked the talk. His words and deeds were one and the same. So refreshing to serve a God who says what He means and means what He says.

Jesus tells a very interesting story in Matthew 21:28-31 that illustrates why what we says and what we do matter when He says, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” It’s been well said, “don’t worry so much about what people say, watch what they do.” That doesn’t mean that what we say isn’t important, it simply means our actions have a greater impact than our words. I have always enjoyed a quote I once read that said, “His walk was so loud you couldn’t hear him speak.”

The word hypocrisy comes from a Latin word which means, “to wear a mask” and implies that one portrays themselves to be one thing when in reality they are another. Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day for that very purpose. Jesus knew more than anyone that actions do speak louder than words. Though I don’t particularly care for the following quote I understand fully why so many people do, “preach the gospel, and use words if necessary.”

Jesus prayer for us is that we might be one as He and the Father are one. Unity is critical to our success if we are to clearly communicate the Gospel to a fallen world. We can’t honestly desire oneness if our words and actions don’t align. Oneness is the foundation of every fruitful relationship be it a marriage, a family, a friendship, a church, a business, a community and the world. Oneness can only be achieved when our words and actions become one and the same.

With that in mind, let your yes be yes today and your no be no. Determine to not wear a mask. Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep. It was Peter Meiderlin, a German Lutheran theologian who said in 1626, “if we might keep in necessary things Unity, in unnecessary things Freedom, and in both Charity, our affairs would certainly be in the best condition.”

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Ephesians 4:1–6


I LOVE YOU!