In a world full of strife and contention the words of King David almost seem to be utopian: "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133:1).

The Bible shows us that unity in the church should be characteristic of our fellowship, but it comes at a price – it is something that doesn’t happen automatically. Instead, we must "work" at it.

In Ephesians 4:1-3 the apostle Paul exhorts us: "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (emphasis added).

Endeavor means effort! Whatever requires our effort does not come automatically.

One important aspect of promoting unity is to understand what the Bible says about pride and humility. "By pride comes nothing but strife," the Proverbs tells us (Proverbs 13:10). The Proverbs also tell us: "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Pride expresses itself in part when we insist on getting what we want – among others things, our own way (James 4:1).

By contrast, the opposite attitude of humility eventually leads to honor: "And before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15:33; see also Proverbs 29:23). Humility expresses itself in part by not demanding our own way. Instead, we are "willing to yield," which promotes peace (see James 3:17).

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul exhorts us to be of "one mind" – in other words, to be unified. And in context he shows that humility is an important part of achieving unity: "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4-5).

The next time you hear of interpersonal strife – disunity – ask yourself if there wasn’t some pride involved somewhere. Ask yourself whether a little work at humility might have provided a different outcome.

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!