Hi, friend, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today is titled Like a Symphony, and it was written by Glenn Packiam.

I surprised my wife with concert tickets to listen to a performer she'd always wanted to see.

The gifted singer was accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra,

and the setting was the matchless venue at Red Rocks,

an open-air amphitheater built between two 300-foot rock formations

at more than 6,000 feet above sea level. The orchestra played a number

of well-loved classical songs and folk tunes. Their final number was a fresh treatment of the

classic hymn, Amazing Grace. The beautiful harmonized arrangement took our breath away. There is something beautiful about harmony,

individual instruments playing together in a way that creates a bigger and more layered sonic

landscape. The Apostle Paul pointed to the beauty of harmony when he told the Philippians to be

like-minded, have the same love, and be one in spirit and mind,

he wasn't asking them to become identical, but to embrace the humble attitude and self-giving love of Jesus.

The gospel, as Paul well knew and taught, doesn't erase our distinctions, but it can eliminate our divisions.

It's also interesting that many scholars believe Paul's words here are a prelude to an early hymn.

Here's the point. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through our distinct lives and contexts, making us more like Jesus,

together we become a symphony that reverberates with a humble Christ-like love.

Now let's go to one of Paul's epistles.

It's from Philippians, the second chapter, verses 1 through 11.

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from

his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy

complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing

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