The Lord is One
GOD VALUES UNITY BECAUSE HE IS A TRINITY, YET ALSO A UNITY.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read John 17:1-11, 20-21.
Verse of the Day: “Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4, NIV).
Mom and Randy climbed the steps of Randy’s friend Josh’s house. The two boys had made plans to spend the afternoon together, and Mom was dropping Randy off.
“What’s that?” Randy asked, pointing to a silver object beside the door frame.
Mom, who had been reaching for the doorbell, stopped before ringing. She looked at the cylinder. “Oh,” she said, “that’s called a mezuzah.”
“A what?”
“A mezuzah,” Mom repeated. “Jewish families put it on their doorposts to remind them of their devotion to God and his Word.”
“What’s inside it?” Randy asked.
Mom’s head tilted. “Little pieces of paper, I think,” she said, “with Scripture verses on them. One of the verses is Deuteronomy 6:4, the one that says, ‘Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”
“What’s that mean?” Randy asked.
“Well, you’re just full of questions today, aren’t you?” Mom said. She glanced at the door, hoping that Josh’s parents weren’t just standing on the other side, waiting for her to ring the doorbell. “Well,” she said, pondering just how much detail to provide, “in the time of Moses, all the nations around Israel worshiped many, many gods. Moses announced that Israel worshiped one God, and only him.”
“But Jesus is God, too,” Randy said.
“Yes,” Mom said. “As Christians, we know that God is a Trinity, and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God.”
“But they’re not three gods, are they?” Randy said.
“No,” Mom answered. “That’s something only God can fully understand. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet he is one. In fact, his unity is an example to us, because he wants us to reflect his unity. He wants us to be unified, not divided, and to live in harmony with other people, even those who are different from us.”
“Uh, Mom?” Randy said.
“Yes?” she answered, wondering to herself when his questions would stop. “I don’t think you have to ring the doorbell.”
Mom turned and saw Randy’s friend Josh standing in the open doorway, waiting politely for them to Finish their conversation.
TO DISCUSS: How can we reflect God’s unity?
TO PRAY: Pray for your family, using the words of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples: “Father, I pray that our family may be unified, as you and your Son, Jesus, are.”