ONE IN US- PART II

It's apparent throughout Jesus' prayer, as recorded in John 17:1-26, that the unification of His church was of paramount importance.  The theme of unity is threaded throughout this chapter.  He pointed out in this prayer that the key to unity was found in our identification with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. In verse 21 he prays that all those who believe on Him "May be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE IN US!
Why is unity so important?  We find from Psalms 133:1-3 that God commands "the blessing" where there is unity.  Unity is the place where God is free to bestow upon us the fullest measure of His goodness and mercy.  There's no limit to which God can bless a family, a marriage, a business, or a ministry when there is unity.  God is not the author of division.  Some say God condones divorce.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  If God condoned divorce, God would condone division.  If God condoned divorce, God would promote the curse from which destruction, lack, and misery would flow.  Jesus prayed that all those who would "believe in Him through their word" would be made "One in Us."  Here in this tiny phrase, the key to unity is found.
Who is the "Us" that Jesus was referring to?  As you read the passage you find that He was referring to God the Father and Himself.  John 17:20-23 reads, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE; AS THOU, FATHER, ART IN ME, AND I IN THEE, THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE "ONE IN US": that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me.  And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them THAT THEY MAY BE MADE PERFECT IN ONE."
It's clear from this passage that the "Us" Jesus was referring to was God the Father and Himself.  Jesus prayed that we'd come together as "one" and that unity would be found in the relationship Jesus has with the Father.  You could therefore say that the key to our unity is found in who we are in the Godhead.
Our relation to the Godhead is found in Genesis 1:26 where God says, "Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness."  Notice that God refers to Himself as "US".  God is not represented in the form of one person.  God is a three-person being; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  God made mankind in the likeness and image of all three persons.  Herein lies the identity of every individual.  Every person has the same identity.  Every person therefore has the same nature and are created for one purpose.  Man was not created to operate independently from God.  Man was not designed to come up with his or her own plan for life.
Division occurs when individuals are not aware of their true identity.  Individuals get married and each pursues their own agenda in life.  For the most part, we see ourselves outside of who God made us and so we construct and pursue our own individual plans.  The husband has his plan and the wife has her plan.  That is a recipe for disaster!  Because each spouse has not discovered one central plan that each should be pursuing, in pursuing their own plans, they begin to grow farther and farther apart.  The truth is, there is only one plan and that is God's perfect plan for each of our lives.
The prophet Jeremiah declares, "I know that the determination of the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man, even in a strong man or in a man at his best, to direct his own steps." (Jeremiah 10:23 Amp.)  It is folly for us to think that we can devise a plan that is better than the one that God has already mapped out for us.  The Apostle Paul wrote, "For we are God's own handiwork, His workmanship, recreated in Christ Jesus, born anew, that we may do those good works which GOD PREDESTINED (planned beforehand) for us.  Taking paths which HE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME, that we should walk in them, living the good life which HE PREARRANGED and made ready for us to live. (Ephesians 2:10 Amp.)
The plan that God has for us originates with God the Father.  He is the person in the Godhead who sets forth the course for our lives.  He is the one who set forth the course for Jesus' life.  Jesus said, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me."  (John 6:38) Notice that Jesus acknowledged that He has a will.  In Gethsemane prior to His death, He prayed to the Father, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42) Though Jesus had a will, He was not self-willed.  He didn't have a personal agenda.  He always sought to do the will of God the Father.  It's as the church and every person within the church seeks the Father's will and not their own, that we can come together in unity.  Our unity is found "In Us."  Our unity is found in pursuing the will of Him in Whose image and likeness we are made.  It's only as we lose sight of ourselves that we can discover one central purpose.  It's as we discover the will of God the Father that we receive the clarity we need to walk together as one.
How do we discover God the Father’s will?  Great question!  Next week, Lord willing, we’ll see the role that Jesus, God the Son, plays in knowing God's will.  He is an integral part of the "Us" that Jesus prayed about.  The more we know about who God the Father and God the Son are in our lives, the more we'll come together in that place called unity where God has commanded the blessing!