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Confession time: I am a HUGE Olympics fan! Doesn’t matter if it is the Winter Olympics or the Summer Olympics, if it is Olympics time, the games will be playing on my television. There is just something about people coming together, giving their all, for a cause greater than just themselves, that excites me! In fact, if you were to come by my house at some point over the next week, you would probably hear some shouting and cheering for Team USA!

This week during Olympics coverage, there has been an ad promoting Team USA that says, “When it comes to Team USA, we’re all on the same team,” emphasizing unity despite rivalries. It’s a sweet ad that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to cheer even louder for our team!

This ad has gotten me thinking about our lives as Christians. There are many Scriptures that talk about unity. Here are just a couple:

Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.”

1 Corinthians 1:10: “I appeal to you, brothers…that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

Colossians 3:14: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

As Christians, we are called to be unified in Christ. We will have differences of opinion on many things. both great and small. However, we are united in that we are all saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That is a bond of unity that we should not allow to be broken…one infinitely greater than even the bond of countrymen at the Olympics.

As we approach Valentine’s Day this weekend, let’s take a moment to remember that it is the love of Jesus that unites us. We can ask God to give us the same love for others as He has for them. We can view our brothers and sisters in Christ through the lens of the gospel and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. When we do that, we will be united, despite our “rivalries” in other areas of life. Let’s adapt the Olympics ad…

”When it comes to Team Jesus, we are all on ONE team!”