Unity is precious, but seems elusive on a larger scale. In an attempt to unite people, we have created hierarchies and empires. This is how we rule, and it is very human to imagine that God reigns in the same fashion. However, the Lord does not run creation like an army. A prominent example: His hands-off approach with planet Earth. He gave humans the earth as an assignment and made them chief administrators (Genesis 1:28):

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

If we had fully understood our function as caretakers of this planet, this would have ruled out human greed, the seedbed of many wars and conflicts. As it is, we have taken full ownership of the earth, although the earth belongs to God, not to us.

While an institution can enforce rules of human behavior, it does have its limitations. This is why the criminal justice system is no cure for crime. Disassociated from God, all human attempts to properly rule this planet ultimately fail. Struggling especially in the area of unity, human societies without God have never known peace.

The bottom-line is that we can’t obtain unity without the Lord. God’s concept of peace took on flesh and blood with the arrival of the Prince of Peace, Jesus. He preached in His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:9):

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Mostly unbeknownst to us, we bring peace everywhere we go when we love the Lord. The peace Jesus creates in our heart has a strong impact. Little by little we change the world – thus ushering in the Kingdom of God.