Verse: Philippians 4: 2-3 (NLT)
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
Devotion
Euodia and Syntyche were known female members of the church of Philippi who had worked closely with Paul. Somewhere along the way they had a disagreement, or perhaps a falling out of sorts. Paul pleads with them, “Because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.” I mean wow…just wow. Does that not completely reflect the time that we are in? I think if God were to make a plea to His people right now it would start with this.
The disagreement between these two women must have been public enough for people to know about it, though “public” then was nothing like it is today with technology and social media. Paul thought it important enough to address in hopes of saving the unity of the believers in Philippi. He repeatedly stressed the importance of unity within God’s church throughout many of his letters. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 he says, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” Now, I don’t interpret this to mean that if we are christians that we are all supposed to agree on every matter of life, scripture, and theology. I do, however, believe that our most important command given by the Lord is to love him above anything/anyone else, and then to love others the way we would love ourselves. So, then if we do this and we are loving all of God’s people, then it should be reflected in our publicly displayed conversations and points of view.
Division makes way for isolation, and I don’t believe that isolation was ever God’s intention. In order for the gospel to reach all the world and Christ’s love to be felt in the hearts of all His children, we have to be united. Disagreements are inevitable–even within the church–because we are forgiven sinners and we all fall short. The key, though, is to remember with love, compassion, and longsuffering (Ephesians 4:31; John 13:34-35) is how we honor each other. A church warring with itself is in danger of losing its testimony. To “be of the same mind, united in thought and purpose” is to glorify the Lord in our honor and love for one another, in order to heal the brokenness of our self-inflicted war.
The “Book of Life” refers to the record of Christ follower’s who have chosen Jesus and asked the Lord to abide with them, being destined for eternity with Him. Paul follows up his initial statement saying that Euodia and Syntyche (and others in the church) invested a lot of work into sharing the Good News of Jesus. Their differences weren’t meant to isolate them, rather to challenge them to love, and seek unity in peace for the purpose of glorifying the Lord. Their names are written in the Book of Life, as are ours who choose Him. Let our testimony not be one of war and division, but of Christ’s love and unity in a time in history that requires it most.
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for reminding us that our personal opinions and agendas are irrelevant if not for your glory. We ask your forgiveness when we allow pride to overshadow grace. As we are a reflection of Jesus because we carry your presence, we want to honor you in our thoughts, our hearts and our actions. Let your loving-kindness lead us to repentance and reconciliation. Father, we want our testimony to be that we loved you more than life itself and that we did well with what you entrusted us. Let us be bearers of good fruit. Everything is for your glory, Jesus. We love you. Amen.
Author: Jillian Tulowitzky
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