How are you doing with memorizing this week’s memory verse? Here it is, again, to help you remember it.
I have always wanted to be in ministry, even since I was a little girl. I used to line up my Fisher Price toy people in the barn, along with some of the animals and then I would preach a sermon. And they sat and listened. As I grew up, I started believing that I wasn’t good enough…holy enough…or memorized enough scripture…the list just goes on and on. Isn’t that just like the enemy? But Scripture tells us otherwise!
2 Corinthians 5:5 says “God Himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee, He has given us His Holy Spirit.”
We may feel like we aren’t good enough to be an example for others. We may find it hard to believe that our own story of deliverance could help someone else who is struggling. The apostle Paul said “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of His one body and each of us has a different work to do. And since we are all one body of Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others” Romans 12:4-5. “We are God’s masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things He has planned for us long ago” Ephesians 2:10.
To have a perfect view of where each of us fit into the grand scheme of things, we need to see that God has a purpose for each one of our lives and He created us with abilities and talents. He likens us, if you will, to a part of a body where every single part is needed for the whole thing to work properly. If you isolate any part of the body and examine it apart from it’s proper place and function, it may seem odd, useless even. Only when it’s connected to the body and doing what it is supposed to do is it’s true purpose and usefulness realized. One body, many members.
As in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit and we all share the same Spirit.” As believers, we should be standing hand in hand across this world trying to preach one message—the most important message.
2 Corinthians 6 sums it up in verses 1 and 2, “As God’s partners, we beg you not to reject the marvelous message of God’s great kindness. For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ ” Indeed God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.
God has given His church an enormous responsibility! To make new disciples in every nation, preaching, teaching, healing, nurturing, giving, administering, building and many other tasks (Matthew 28:18-20). We cannot do this by ourselves. God calls us, as members of His body, together so that we can obey Him more fully and we can accomplish more together than we ever could by ourselves-working together, the Church, all of us to express the fullness of Christ.
Let’s not get separated because of doctrinal differences, and let’s agree that because we have the unity of the spirit, together we can cover the world and make sure every ear will hear the good news that we are so fortunate to hear on a daily basis. Ephesians 4:3-6 says “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in spirit, binding yourselves together in peace. For there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one truth, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is overall and living through all.”
I challenge you today to find the place(s) where your talents can be used, where your abilities are valuable. God loves us and He wants us to find our place in the Body of Christ and our unique purpose in this life. Just as Paul challenges the church, God also is begging us to lead a life worthy of our calling. We have been called by God!
Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We love You and we praise You for Who You are. You love us unconditionally. You show us mercy and grace and we are so undeserving. Give us the confidence we need to step out of our comfort zones to be Your hands and feet to this hurting world. We have what it takes for You have given us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. You have given us Your Word as a reference and Your promises that You will never break. We are a body of believers and may we be unstoppable! May we be a force for good and show others the love You so freely give. May we stand unified as one for Your kingdom and Your mission, and may we spread the good news that Jesus saves! We want all Your people to have the chance to live with You in Heaven forever. We love You and may we continue to show You how much. In Your Son’s name we pray.
Amen.
About Kim Spring
Kim, absolutely fantastic blog this morning. “ONE” is the key word. We all have a part in serving and doing the work of God. He tells us quite specifically in the verses you have posted that we are to be “One.” One body, One Spirit, One Lord, One baptism, and One God and Father. I don’t see anywhere in the Word where it tells us to form our own little groups of people and leave “who we choose” out. I see this time and time again and it weighs heavy on my heart. The Word does however, tell us what NOT to do – Romans 12:16 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Let us remember what God “tells us to do” and stop being so selfish. Thanks Kim, great blog and great reminder!
This was exactly what I needed to hear too. Funny how my subject is always what I need to research and hear what God is trying to say to me. He’s so amazing!!
Thanks, Kim, for a lot of good Scripture to reinforce the lesson. As Teresa said, “God has given us ALL the task of reconciling people to Him…WE ARE ALL ministers, ordained by God, through the work of Jesus Christ!” (2 Cor 5:17-20) Working together as one is a must for this to be accomplished. Teresa also pointed out Eph 4:2 where we find several character traits that we need to develop to be ministers of reconciliation: [be] humble, gentle, patient, making allowance, loving, united in the Spirit, united with peace. I hadn’t consciously connected these verses before, but I believe it’s so true that we can’t MINISTER reconciliation unless we LIVE reconciliation among The Church.
Praying your prayer this morning, Kim. Thanks.
Thank you Clella. I’m praying tbe prayer along with you too. It’s something we should pray daily. We have such a awesome task at hand and we have the tools to carry it out. Lets do it!:)
thank you, our kim, for the gentle admonishment and wonderful encouragement! i always think, “IF/SINCE we ARE the Body…what should we be doing?” nothing of ourselves made us part of the Body of Christ. only God’s great grace! praying for each of us that we will remember that it is by grace and live and serve and minister and bless in light of that. <3
Preach it, sister! This is exactly the message the Holy Spirit has been speaking into my heart for several years now. How can we teach love and acceptance of God AND THEN exclude fellow believers from joining us in the work we are doing ” for the Lord”? We are ONE Church, One Body, with One Father. We need to FOCUS and stop being distracted by manmade divisions. I’m loving the revelations and growth we are receiving. <3
Exactly Teresa. I have been really thinking about this and hoping for unity here where we live. He is able.
AWEsome!!! I love your message of ONE, Teresa and Kim, and I love Coleen’s Grace analogy which I interpret as – grace is the glue that binds our singular parts to Jesus. That gives me chills!
In studying the concept of ONE, I found many verses, but this verse is so powerful: “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” – Galatians 6:2 NLT. So many times we see this happen in a church when people get into powerful positions and then forget why they were called to that position. We could spend weeks on this lesson alone! Love you girls!
The world would look at ONE as something unfavorable, lonely, etc. Three Dog Night had a song many years ago that was titled One Is the Loneliest Number. It spoke of being only one as a sad thing! As Christians, we see things through the Spirit and realize that being ONE is an amazing thing; a perfect thing; a beautiful thing!! Praise God that we can live a life as ONE and be filled with joy because of Christ!!! AMEN!
Amen Christy. I remember that song too. As Christians ONE is not lonely. We stand together. For Him.