Overflowing With Gifts, Purpose and Potential

The other day I cut my finger while working on something with my granddaughter. She, being the pretty little ten-year-old nurse that she is, watched me wash it with peroxide then gently put the band-aid on for me. She wound up replacing that band-aid for me several times before she went home that night, it kept bleeding through. It’s clearly a deeper cut than I first thought.

Over the past few days, I’ve been keenly aware of just how much that finger bumps into things, and how much I use that part of my hand for. Things like wringing out a washcloth, or pulling something across the floor or gripping anything, really.

We routinely use body parts without thinking about them and muscles we don’t even realize we have until they’re injured, and pain calls them to our attention.

(depositphotos.com)

Of course, looking at the parallels in life between the physical realm and the spiritual, my mind is drawn to look at the body of Christ and the injuries we suffer; the body parts that get no attention and body parts we don’t even realize carry the work load they do. In the New Testament, there are several chapters that share how we’re fit together for the perfecting of the Bride of Christ and to win the lost to eternal intimacy with God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 describes the body of Christ better than I can.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – all have been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

“If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And they eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (NKJV)

God has given us each the gifts and abilities, the power and authority we need to accomplish His will in the earth. He’s uniquely positioned us within the body of Christ to edify the Church and disciple those around us.

Romans 12:4-8 tells us:  

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (NKJV)

When we’re not lending our gifts the Church, the body of Christ suffers as a whole, and our local body of believers in particular.

When one of us is injured, whether through spiritual, mental, emotional or physical injury, the whole-body hurts and suffers the loss of what we can contribute.

What have you been contributing to the body of Christ lately? You’re more important than you realize. We need you.

Focus

(cutestpaws,com)

Glasses, a magnifying glass, a telescope or binoculars; which help me see the big picture? I have enough of a problem seeing my fraction of the picture when it’s right in front of my face.


I’ve run into folks that need to micromanage everything. For the most part, I’ve grown content with focusing on my little piece of the puzzle – though I still need help adjusting my lenses to see what my little piece looks like. As the aging process ripens me, I realize it’s not my job to make sure all the pieces of the puzzles of life get fitted into place perfectly.

(collegegroveoptometry.com)

Though I can’t wait to see ‘the big picture’ – or what the puzzle will look like when it’s done, I have a job to do and it’s not the job of overseer. Like one tiny cog in the great-grandfather clock of time needs to consistently turn, I need to consistently keep my eyes on Jesus and follow Him in meekness and obedience. Yet, something innate drives me to reach out to help the other cogs turn, too. When one cog gets stuck, we all stop and time stands still for an eternity.

If we’re any more intelligent than a bumblebee or a horse – it should be all the easier for us to do our part. We certainly don’t see horses trying to make honey. Yet, we look at each other’s lives and try to do someone else’s part – some of us even try to do God’s part! He’s so patient with us. He trusts us to do our part more than we trust ourselves -and each other, more than we trust Him.

1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. (NIV)

Another Vivid Dream

Not for the sqeamish, another vivid dream.

Strangers in a Foreign Land

They were in a foreign land, like China –an Asian country. Amidst many other travelers, two couples rode on a trolley-car type train across major roadways in a huge city. Oddly, several loud, obnoxious, fat, college aged Americans seemed to be the ones in control of the train, acting as conductors. At the time no one seemed to suspect the train had been taken over. The conductors served the passengers a tempting plate of goodies; brownie bites, cookies, chocolate fudge and the like. The woman watching her weight knew she shouldn’t indulge, but the temptation was too much, she ate her fill. Everyone on board the train partook.
Back at their hotel, though the husbands were tired too, they went out on their own, but the ladies were so sleepy they had to nap. While they were sleeping, or drugged by the goodies and unconscious, they were raped.
Upon waking, they knew something horrible had happened to them but looked for reasons to explain it away and dismiss it. They were ashamed and didn’t talk about it with each other – until the younger woman admitted to the older one that she was sore ‘down there’ – confused and terrified as to why.

I woke up.

As Christians we are strangers in a foreign land, indulging in temptations to sin.
Sin weakens the Bride of Christ – causing her to ‘sleep’ or be apathetic about what happens to the body.
The Bride of Christ is being raped while she ‘sleeps’ – while others, the protectors (perhaps pastors or others in leadership roles?) in the body ‘sleep’ or look the other way.

Key: stop indulging in temptation/sin

Words that can replace ‘rape’: violated, made ‘un-whole’, damaged, crushed, torn apart, invaded, divided, confused, shamed, laughed at & mocked, innocence taken, quieted, suppressed, emptied, scarred, scared, intimidated, robbed, numbed, shocked, devastated, trashed, used and abused.