How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
- Psalm 133:1

When God’s people live together in unity it is both good and pleasant. Did you catch that? Both good AND pleasant.

Don’t let people tell you that pulling God’s people together in unity can’t be pleasant. What we have in common in Christ is much more significant than everything else that attempts to divide us. The pain of reconciliation fades in the light of the glory of God’s work to unite us to each other and to him.

Moving toward unity often requires compromise, which can feel uncomfortable. It requires growth, which is often accompanied by growing pains. The move toward unity challenges us to get serious about the devices and desires of our hearts; and we won’t always delight in what we discover when we go digging into those depths.

But don’t be deceived. Unity is worth it!

Together we become the best version of ourselves. Together we see the image of God much more completely. Together we’re most able to pursue the purposes of God in our generation. We need each other. Life together can be filled with joy and beauty. Life together can be pleasant.

And life together can be good. We don’t have to sacrifice the goodness of life together in order to have a pleasant experience. We don’t have to paper over our wounds, close our eyes to systemic injustice, or cave in to bullies. No, our unity allows us to seek healing, create change, and lovingly challenge those of our brothers and sisters who abuse their power.

The compromises we make to enjoy life together are compromises of preference, not of righteousness. Our growth together as a community is the slow, rhythmic growth of a tree or a garden, not the ravenously consuming growth of a cancer. Our life together transforms us and helps us become the people God made us to be.

The life God’s people live together is both good and pleasant. We’ll have rough patches. But our wounded healer, our good shepherd, our Savior Jesus fills our common life with real, good, great, abundant life.

Where have you seen life together be pleasant? Where have you seen life together be good? Which of these two do you expect more of from your Christian community? Why do you think that is?