It may have been purposeful that God used a word like “harmony” that is so closely tied to music to describe an aspect of how He wants us to live together in His kingdom.
Romans 12:16 tells us, “Live in harmony with one another.”

When all musical sounds harmonize, an exceptional composition arises. How we live and serve God in cooperative harmony is like music to God. Harmony in Christian friendships, Christian families and Christian marriages creates millions of beautiful songs of praise for God.
Harmony is order, a pattern that belongs together and functions properly.

We are to work harmoniously, using our God-given abilities with others in our Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages. Christianity is not an individual pursuit, but the dance of the Bride of Jesus with all body parts in beautiful harmony.

An orchestra or band with some musical instruments absent, off key, or with notes out of place is not only lacking harmony, the music is very unpleasing. We Christians should want to grow in our ability to live and serve together harmoniously and make our lives as pleasing to God as we can. This will take as much effort as does the diligent practice of accomplished musicians.
God created harmony everywhere. Trillions of different parts of the universe fulfill their prescribed dance. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom harmonize to create water. Gravity does its part and pulls water downhill. Our lungs draw in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide in regularity for years on end. Harmony is essential to life everywhere.

Similarly, God asks His people to live in harmony because that is essential to spiritual life. We each have our part as determined by God’s design and His sovereign control of the circumstances of our lives. We fit together in an infinity of configurations to live for God and do His will. Therefore, this command to live in harmony with one another is huge in its importance.
Christians are the body of Christ, a body with parts that are to function together in harmony. We know this because of 1 Cor 12:27 which says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Surrounding verses amplify how we cannot work properly separately.

As the visible body of Christ, we harmonize to be Jesus to the world around us. Usually we are Jesus to others as individual Christians with Jesus living in us. However, Christian friendship groups, Christian families, and even Christian marriages, with many believers working together, can much more be the whole, harmonious, living Christ.

Harmony starts with mental recognition that Jesus is present with us and essential to the harmony God wants. Jesus, as Lord, has the authority to direct each of us to do our part in harmony with Himself as well as with one another for whatever He is doing in the world and in us.

Jesus is the conductor who writes the musical scores and directs the music of the instruments. We are the instruments playing the musical notes. The Holy Spirit is the musician and produces music through us for Jesus. And, Jesus does it for God the Father.

Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages are like bands with innumerable songs to sing. If we obey Jesus as the band leader to lead us to work together harmoniously in living and serving, we create beautiful melodies for God.

Harmony is working together rather than autonomously or in different directions. It involves at least cooperation, collaboration, and synergy to mesh our different assets to serve God together efficiently and effectively. A mom and dad working together to bring their children’s behavior under control is an example of living harmony.

Each of us has been designed by God to yield our own particular contributions. Think of these as our own unique musical sounds. When we are with one or two other Christians, there are millions of possible combinations of notes for songs numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Within each grouping together with Jesus, songs are created to match the situations He wants to impact. Then Jesus directs the musical production and the Holy Spirit is the musician bringing out the notes from each of us in such harmony that the work of God is done well.

Likening the patterns of interactions of Christian friendships, families and marriages to songs in order to understand the harmony God commands of His people should help us understand the vital importance that we live in harmony. Every time a few Christians get together there are capabilities to be combined for God’s work. It is in our frequent gatherings within the various groupings of our Christian Inner Circles that harmony can so powerfully be used by God.

Each time God wants to use a Christian friendship or family or marriage, He wants everyone involved with their contribution that has been made available to them by their creative design by God and the life circumstances God has taken them through. Working together in harmony mixes the necessary talents to make up God’s intervention through us for something good.
We must develop conviction that our friendships, families and marriages are spiritual forces in God’s hands. Whenever such Christian configurations are together, Jesus probably wants something to happen that requires harmony. We know a little of what this is like when we work together to throw a birthday party.

Let’s all think, “What does God want my friendship group or family or marriage to do together for Him? How can we each complement one another to develop that harmony that is like our own particular song for the Lord at this time and place?”
Harmony in a band is hard without, say, a drummer. We must be aware that everyone in a friendship, everyone in a family, and both in a marriage are essential for the harmony that serves God best.

It is difficult to create maximum harmony if we are not aware of everyone’s potential contributions. Christian friendships, families and marriages should take careful stock of what they have in the way of strengths, just as they do of the food in their pantries. They need to be aware of what they have for the next call from God to service, just as they need to know what food is available to make dinner.

Since we will all live together in harmony in heaven, it only makes sense to prepare by living together in harmony now. Keeping with the theory that we will enter heaven with skills at the level developed on earth against the harassment of sin, let’s pay attention now to developing great skills in working together harmoniously with fluid synergy.

We can get ready for the harmony in heaven by including Jesus into our gatherings in more than as a doctrine or concept. We can actually grow in our awareness of His personal presence with us whenever we are with a Christian friend, a Christian family member, or our Christian spouse. Jesus is invisible, yet really present. It will be just as hard remembering that Jesus is present as it is being aware of breathing air. It will take some work.

Whether we are helping one another grow spiritually, helping one another succeed in life, worshiping God, or helping others outside of our Christian Inner Circles, each new opportunity will require a different synergism of working together for God’s good. As a result, each accomplishment will give us more ability to start off in heaven with a higher level of harmony, avoiding the delay in learning those skills there.

We need to remember that God can usually be better served and glorified by a team than by individual effort. When we each see someone in need, we can grow in our ability to think of how others can be brought in to help. Perhaps a brother-in-law becomes unemployed. The first thought will likely be how we can help him by our own individual effort. But, soon after, when we cannot get him a job right away, we want to think of how a particular friendship group can be of greater help.

When we are in heaven, we will be able to look back at how special it was to work together. That backward glance will greatly increase our appreciation of the “natural harmony” in heaven.
It seems that when we get to heaven and experience everyone working together so harmoniously, we can have great appreciation for it because we are familiar with it already, or we can be in a fog about it due to its unfamiliarity, no matter how good it is. This depends on how much we have pursued harmony before death.

So, imagine that in heaven, however the will of our Lord Jesus comes to us there, we have already learned to get right on task with others who have the complementary skills needed. To add a little humor, let’s imagine that in heaven when Jesus has something for us to do, a little bird whispers it in our ear.

Not having developed the natural tendency toward synergistic harmony to glorify God before coming to heaven, one might smile at the bird’s message and keep sitting on the bed wondering what comes next.

But, what if we came to heaven with our feet prepared to run because we had let the Holy Spirit teach us the basics of living in harmony with others in our closest Christian relationships? The little bird comes then and lets us know what Jesus wants done. And, we get up immediately and search for the other team members that the Lord is gathering for the harmony the task requires.

Have you ever been on a team with someone who was very special to you? During the task, have you ever glanced at that person and felt the tinge of joyful connection it brings? My wife Jean and I do that all the time. And, I want that with the Lord in heaven, those special glances that come from harmony and signify a special appreciation for being together and working together to make something good happen.

Getting together in an evening to put together a new song today would be incredibly exciting. Just think of how exciting it will be to create new songs forever through working in harmony with the other citizens of heaven!