December 1 - The Commanded Blessing

What a beautiful picture about brethren dwelling together in unity. When the children of God have love one for another, when they can be together in one place in peace, goodness and beauty will be there. When this happens, two things will take place: the Spirit of God will be working and the lost will come to know the Lord.

The first figure the psalmist uses is the anointing oil of Aaron, flowing from his head all the way down to his beard and then to the collar of his robes. This reminds us of the Day of Pentecost when the 120 believers were with one accord in one place that the Holy Spirit came down with power. The outpouring of the Spirit historically has been on Christians praying with one heart and one mind. Unity brings in revival, transforming the churches and individuals.

The second picture is that of the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. When unity of the brethren is there, the commanded blessing of the Lord will come. That blessing is life forevermore, the eternal life given to those who are lost. This is the greatest blessing of the church, when their numbers are added each day. The effectiveness of a church’s outreach has to do with the unity of the believers. When the Jerusalem church was in unity, sharing everything in common, there were no needy persons among them and many came to faith in Jesus Christ.

In order for believers to be filled by the Holy Spirit and for others to know Christ, we need to love one another as John tells us in his epistle. The purpose of his writing is that the believers do not sin. He gives them a commandment to live in the light by loving one another. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in darkness. A person who hates is walking in the dark and cannot see clearly. When we love, we move from darkness into light and we can see what is ahead of us.

Jesus has said that if we have love for one another, the world may know that we are His disciples. Christian unity is the most potent force in outreach and evangelism. The devil is trying to take away this power by bringing divisions and fights into the churches. Proverbs state that greedy people bring in strife, those who want more than their shares will cause trouble. Jealousy is one sin that can divide the brethren.

Pray Pentecost for your church, pray for revival that comes from united prayers so that many may come into God’s Kingdom. Do you pray with others in the church for unity and revival? How is the prayer meeting in your church? Begin to pray with others for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and for the lost to be found.