Romans 12:3-5 New American Standard Bible 1995
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
One of the key realities of Christianity is belonging.
I belong! I belong to God.
I belong to Jesus.
I belong to the Holy Spirit.
I belong to Jesus’ body, the Church.
I have a critically important place, a critically important purpose in that body.
I belong! I am needed!
I have a critically important job to do!
I belong!!
One of the most useful gifts God has given us for making our hearts receptive to him is each other.
The church is both a beautiful and broken group of people.
Beautiful because of the grace of God that is working in each and every one of us making us more like Jesus.
Broken because we have yet to walk in the complete fullness of what Christ did for us on the cross.
Most of us have been wounded by something that happened in a church.
Most of us have felt anger, frustration, or annoyance with a fellow believer.
But if we are to walk in the fullness of what God intends for us here on earth, we must continually forgive, ask forgiveness from each other, submit ourselves to a group of Christ followers, share life with believers in accordance with God’s Word.
The Bible is crystal clear that the best place for us to thrive is in community with fellow believers.
Romans 12:5 teaches us that we are all “one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
And Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches us “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
We need each other.
We are joined together as the body of Christ made to function as one—both for our edification and the fulfillment of God’s own eternal purposes in the world.
In order to make the soil of your heart soft and tillable and receptive to God, you must have help from those neighbors which God has placed all around you.
We are created to worship with the body of Christ for all eternity, and that includes exactly right now!
Do not wait to live out the promises of God.
The church is not perfect, but it is God’s Bride.
His desire is for His people, and God loves to pour out His presence in unique and specific ways when we gather together and we must reciprocate – desire.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 New American Standard Bible 1995
Christian Conduct
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you [a]appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you [b] instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the [c]unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
There is edification you need that can only take place in the presence of fellow believers.
There is blessing that can only be received when you open your heart to the family of God.
We all have wounds; we all need grace; we all need each other.
The very person who most annoys you might need you the most.
Just as you need what fellow believers around you have to offer you, others need who God has uniquely designed you to be.
God asks us to humble ourselves before him and each other.
Philippians 2:3 teaches us to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
When you consciously choose to humble yourself before God, before man, you will find a true peace that is never available in living for your own ambitions.
When you submit yourself to imperfect people, you give away your sense of entitlement and find the grace of God that’s poured out on those who truly count others as more significant than themselves.
It’s in the submission to others and giving away of our own rights that the soil of our heart is made soft and receptive to God.
It’s in spending time with fellow imperfect people that we become edified and are spurred on toward spending more time with God.
Often it’s in the extending of grace and forgiveness to each other that we become most like Christ, the one who suffered and died in the ultimate act of humility to we who are unworthy.
Offer love to those who don’t deserve it.
Place yourself in community with those who are imperfect.
Open your heart to those who might not treat you with perfect kindness.
Find your unique place in the body and serve the community God has placed you in with true faithfulness so you might be fashioned into the likeness of Christ.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Guided Prayer:
1. Ask God to show you the community he would have you be a part of.
Whether this answer comes to us immediately or through seeking and visiting churches, trust that God will guide you to the local body he has planned for you.
2. Ask God to show you your place in the community.
This will change over time, so it’s good to continually ask God this question, especially if you feel out of place.
3. Now ask God to show you how he feels about the church.
We aren’t meant to live and love out of our own strength.
Instead, we are to seek God’s heart for his people and align ourselves with him.
God’s desire for the church is untold ages long, vast and powerful.
Isaiah 53:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 But He was [a]pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our [b]well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To [c]fall on Him.
He has loved his people in perfect faithfulness despite all our transgressions and wandering.
When we fail to show grace and love to those around us, we fail to live out of God’s heart for his people.
If you want to live a life as near to God’s heart as possible you must search him out with the rest of his body.
One day we will all be made perfect and be able to worship together face to face with the living God.
One day, every tribe, tongue and nation will declare together the wonders of God’s amazing love.
Live in light of eternity today.
Worship here as you will in heaven, and watch as heaven invades earth around you with the glory and love of God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
Help me, ABBA Father, to find the place where you made me to fit into Jesus’ body, the church. Until I know my exact place to serve and use my gifts, I pledge to work in all sorts of ministries so that your Spirit, and not just my own preference, will guide me into your place for me to serve. Thank you for giving me a unique place not only to belong, but also serve, be a part of Jesus’ bodily presence in the world. Jesus’ name.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 