I believe God raises up spiritual gifts for specific needs among his people in particular times...and I have come to believe He is manifesting Himself more and more through the gift of peacemaking in this day because we have never needed it more than we do now. The divisions within our culture and even within the church itself in recent years have taken center stage for all the world to see. I believe it breaks God’s heart.   As you are about to see, Dr. Philip Calvert, is one of God’s people through whom the gift of peacemaking is evident. This 40-day journey through the very heart of God’s Word is a journey through critical topics such as reconciliation, forgiveness, like-mindedness, humility, patience, kindness, and spiritual maturity. I am sure you will agree that these kinds of qualities and characteristics are glaringly missing from our current culture and certainly from our contemporary public discourse. Any journey toward Biblical Unity must necessarily advance across these very steppingstones.   I love that this journey also addresses some of the most prevalent obstacles to unity as well...things like bias, prejudice, and fear. These are lynchpins to the “culture war” going on all around us (and within us). These are the weapons of that war, that is, the weapons of the world. But they are not for us as Christ followers, and this devotional journey makes that clear.   

Even as I write these words, I am praying for you, dear reader. I am praying that the Spirit of the Living God will go before you and beneath you and will reside within you as you take this journey.   I am praying that the Lord will shape and even reshape your heart to want the same things He wants and to see yourself and others through God’s eyes.   I am praying for change...that you will, “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV)  

Jesus prayed in John 17 for the unity of His church...for your church and for mine. I believe God has already answered that prayer by sending His Holy Spirit.   And I believe the Spirit is still working today through believers like Dr. Calvert to guide us to all truth. Pay attention, friends. This is important.  

~Blake Coffee 

I am writing this introduction to The Gift of Unity quarantined at home, having tested positive for Covid-19. What an ironic way to begin a book about unity, given the unfathomable disunity this pandemic has unleashed. In addition to the terrible suffering caused by the virus, the vitriol in society has been breathtaking. From personal experience, fighting this virus is not necessarily easy. But, for the vast majority of those who contract it, the body’s natural defense against the virus is stronger than our natural tendency to fight about it. Covid-19 has unleashed anger, distrust, and fear. This great discord is all the more reason this book is necessary. We turn on people for things that a few years ago would not have garnered a response. Just say “masks required” or “vaccine mandate” and watch out! We’d rather be right than live in harmony. While there are many reasons to be justified, there are many more reasons to be unified. One of the greatest unifiers in the history of mankind was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even in the midst of the wrongs committed against him, he had a vision to make possible the seemingly impossible. As I write these words in Covid quarantine on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am drawn to one of the most profound dreams of all time. His dream was one of a united humanity that cared about the content of one’s character more than the color of one’s skin. Today we call it a great dream but, lest we forget, when he dreamed that dream it was considered nothing more than a pipe dream.  

However, as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message began to powerfully resonate in the heart of a people hungry for something better than the odiferous status quo of bold-faced racism, that dream became a blessed reality.  While wars are fought in well-defined periods of time, peace must be maintained over time. As for unity, it must be the constant and ever-present pursuit of every heart in every generation. Once we no longer desire to live in harmony with each other, disunity will rear its ominous head, and conflict and discord will beckon with an irresistible call that precious few souls can resist. Yet, unity is possible. Even though the drumbeat of division grows louder with each passing day, with each new variant, and with yet another source of conflict, it is possible to pursue and achieve unity. The way forward is to be firmly grounded in Christ. 

It’s with a devoted heart that gives preference to each other that we can overcome the allure of disunity. As Dr. King once said, “I was convinced that worship at its best is a social experience with people of all levels of life coming together to realize their oneness and unity under God.” The purpose of this book of devotionals, therefore, is to turn our hearts back to our first love, which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Only by drawing close to Him daily can we achieve unity that endures. That is the essence of these devotionals. 

 ~Philip William Calvert 

I dedicate this book to all those who earnestly strive for peace and unity in our day. In so many ways, the voices of anger, bitterness, discord, and disharmony have never had a bigger platform. 

Social media platforms have given those who sow dissent in society an amplifier that they simply never had access to before now. Prior to the digital age, hateful people were known in their local community, and the venom they spewed was often disregarded. They lost their voice the louder they shouted. People knew the source, considered the source, and rejected the verbal abuse.   

Today, however, we often neither know both the veracity of the claims some people make, nor do we know the identity of the source itself. There is nothing stopping people, governments, and entities from creating false personas in order to disseminate misleading information. 

Because social media on the World Wide Web is global, distinguishing between fact and fiction is difficult at best.   In light of the foregoing, I dedicate The Gift of Unity to all those who, despite the many challenges of our day, seek to bring people together instead of dividing them. 

These unifiers in modern society play an increasingly important role. We need them. In fact, we need more of them to speak more often! 

~Philip William Calvert