ODJ: positioned
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love (v.16).
READ: Ephesians 4:4-16
It’s a very important job.” Serious and maternal, my 9-year-old sought to convince her younger brother to help her with a small chore. Trying to carry eight individual rolls of toilet paper from the kitchen to the bathroom, she wanted Micah to walk behind her to make sure none of them fell. Usually kindhearted and generous, he had some difficulty grasping the importance of her request, but eventually tagged along. Humorous as it was, their interaction made me think of the body of Christ.
Created to live with purpose, we want to know we have something to give. We were also created with the desire for belonging. While God intended to meet these desires with Himself, we often look to the tangible to find fulfillment, even in the body of Christ.
If we believe our importance in the body of Christ comes from whatever position we hold in the church, that distorts our purpose—and that of the church. But God established the church to be a representation of His glory, not our own. When we base our sense of purpose on what those in leadership ask us to do, we set ourselves up for disappointment and open the door for offenses. To function well as the body of Christ, each of us must:
• Recognize that God, not man, is the One who positions us for ministry (Ephesians 4:7,11).
• Submit to the God-ordained process of being equipped for ministry and be willing to train under those whom God has put in place (Ephesians 4:12).
• Grow to be more and more like Jesus (v.15).
• Know your part and help others grow spiritually (v.16).
The church exists to show the goodness and glory of God (1 Peter 2:9). Do we as His body reveal Him? —Regina Franklin
How have you been looking to others to validate your value in the body of Christ? What offense toward another Christian should you address?
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February 20, 2010
READ: Numbers 9:19-23
I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. —Psalm 40:1
Parking my car has been a lifelong problem for me. It really wasn’t a high priority with my driving instructor, so I never learned to back up into a parking space until many years later. He also skipped the parallel parking lesson, and I still avoid that unless there’s enough space for two or three cars.
I’ve also struggled to understand a statement I heard when I was a young Christian: “God can’t steer a parked car.” I took that as a challenge to shift my life into motion, and along the way God would guide me in the right direction. It’s an interesting thought, but it’s not always the way God works. Occasionally, God does want us to “stay parked” for a while.
At times, when Moses was in the wilderness, God kept the Israelites in one place. He led them by a cloud, and when it stayed still for many days, “the children of Israel . . . did not journey” (Num. 9:19). Waiting isn’t always easy, but sometimes God wants us to stay right where He has put us. The psalmist reminds us, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (27:14).
You may feel that you’re stuck and just spinning your wheels in your service for God. But keep your heart open to God’s leading. Then you’ll be ready to shift gears when you hear God say, “Let’s go this way.” — Cindy Hess Kasper
God orders our stops as well as our steps.
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