Health for the Body of Christ

God's plan for humanity is not a conglomeration of various unrelated events with a hodgepodge of results. It is as orderly and detailed as the planets in orbit around the sun.

God arranged the planets to all sit at just the right angle and spacing, especially the earth. Our world tilts at the exact slant it needs to support life. Its composition consists of the perfect combination of chemical elements and matter to ensure our existence.

King Jesus is also establishing His Kingdom on the earth in order to physically abide with everyone who is humble enough to accept His call on their life. He incorporates us into His Body of Believers throughout generations and nations from the beginning of time.

God designed His Body so that when one member suffers, we all suffer; and when one member rejoices, we all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:26). Unfortunately, Satan makes sure that his character attributes of jealousy, covetousness and pride steal these ideal circumstances from us.

This causes God's Body to operate dysfunctionally, to think more of our self than anyone else, to keep our own priorities as our focus and to lack any concern for those around us who, by their own choices (John 3:18), are lost and destined to spend eternity in hell. 

Many people spend more time on vacations than in service to God's Body; more money on their toys, collections, hobbies and gadgets than on the ministries of the church which promote God's Kingdom. They focus more on their own agenda and endeavors than on the will of God.

They often reject one church Body for another, divorcing their former church family without one regret. They disfigure God's Body - like an eye rolling down the path of life, leaving one church with only one eye and their next church with more than the two eyes it needs (1 Corinthians 12:14-22).

Sometimes, disgruntled people refuse to attend any church at all, despising a part of the Bride of Christ that Jesus gave His life to redeem (2 Corinthians 11:2). They cut themselves off from the fellowship and blessings of their church family.

At times, certain people in our church Body may exasperate us or are irritating and hard to live with, but Christ is patient with us (Romans 5:8), and we can allow the fruit of God's Spirit to help us to be patient with His Body as well (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that when we determine to put our self first, to divorce Your Bride, or to stir up trouble with gossip and dissention, this says more about our character than the short-comings within Your Body. Help us to attain spiritual maturity through Christ in us, so that we can love Your Bride unconditionally and to serve with tireless devotion in the church where You plant us (Luke 6:32).

Your grace enables us to love others as Christ loves us, sacrificially, patiently and selflessly. You do not require us to "like" anyone else, but You do expect us to love them with the love of Christ within us. Help us to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem, by stepping up and faithfully and tirelessly serving Your Bride where we see areas of need.

Thought for the Day:

Our Great Physician is a skilled surgeon who continually operates on the heart of each of us, to give us new life in Him in order to resolve life's most complex issues, to bring peace in the more tumultuous circumstances, and to draw us to the truth of His Word as we all continually abide in His presence.

Hope for Our Future

Basking in the life, the presence and the Word of God are essential for the authentic Believer's well-being. Our body and soul cry out for our living God (Psalm 84:2).

God's presence is the only commodity, which will satisfy our longing and fill our hungry soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions (Psalm 107:9).

People fail to devote their whole life and soul to God for many reasons, including living in the whirlwind of vocation, pleasure, family issues, material possessions, etc.  Some are even riddled with doubt, debt and cynicism.

These are all modern idols and false gods. When we serve false gods, God sends plagues of all types in order to get our attention; yet, we often harden our heart all the more.

We view trials as punishment, rather than the Surgeon's skilled knife which brings repentance of sin and complete healing to areas of our life where Satan lied to us.

God desires to fulfill His glorious promises in us, which are full of mercy, grace and truth. His plans bring us prosperity rather than punishment, and they give us a hopeful future (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

However, we must first return to our first love, to pray for forgiveness for our sins and to call on Him. Then, He will listen to us. When we seek Him with our whole body, soul and spirit, we will always find Him (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

In God's everlasting arms, we enter His rest because He provides us with hope for our future, security for our spirit and peace for our soul. There is always hope in the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for allow us to rest in Your everlasting embrace. You provide us with Your peace as we walk in Your Spirit, guidance as we consult You each moment of the day, and joy as we abide in Your presence within us. You restored us to Yourself and we glorify Your name and love You with all of our heart.

We live our life in worship to You, seeking first Your Kingdom rather than building our own kingdom (Matthew 6:33). We consult You in all of our ways and we want to do only Your will for our life. We make You our top priority in life and we diligently seek You in times of peace and turmoil alike.

Thought for the Day:

God never promises us a struggle free life; in fact, He made it clear that we would experience many trials and tribulation; yet, He always gives us His peace, which helps us to stay focused on Him rather than to depend on our own human understanding. - John 16:33; Philippians 4:7

Responding to God's Spirit

 

I am the world's worse person in regards to overreacting emotionally. I cry easily (whether happy, sad or overcome by God's goodness), laugh quickly, feel sad deeply and respond angrily when one of my triggers is pulled.

I am melancholy and emotional; but thankfully, God's Spirit is transforming my negative traits over the years. I am learning to be spirit-controlled, so that His fruit replaces my carnal tendencies (Galatians 5:22-23).

Yet, I am still not perfect. The biggest gift God gave to me is the ability to process my feelings before I express them. This often results in me staring blankly at someone and causing an uncomfortable void in the conversation.

They expect a reaction and I'm sitting numb before them. However, this is healthier than blasting them with anger or a fit of tears and confusing them with my fleshly responses.

Hunger, sleep deprivation, stress and emotional depletion will make us more vulnerable to overreacting with negative emotions. Removing those hindrances is of paramount importance.

I also learned to say, "I will talk to my husband about that and we will pray about it together. Then I will let you know." Some impatient people want an instant reply, but that is never wise to give to anyone about anything.

Journaling my feelings and my responses to their comment or request helps me to sort through my initial reactions. The Holy Spirit may even reveal unresolved conflicts in my subconscious mind that triggered the immediate negative response in me.

God's Spirit is teaching me to abide in my spirit instead of in my flesh and soul - thoughts, choices and emotions. I filter life through my spirit and then take stock of my emotional and physical responses. This is called setting a boundary, and it gives us space and time to hear God's wisdom.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to respond to life and to people with the same care, compassion and love which Jesus exhibited during His lifetime. He did speak harshly to some people, like the Pharisees, but He had the authority to do this and we do not. Fill us with Your compassion and give us Your heart toward people, especially toward the household of Your Saints - the church.

Help us to mix Your wisdom with our emotional responses and to take the time to allow this to occur, even if it means that we do not say anything at all when someone says or does or requests something from us. It may be awkward for the moment, but it will prevent embarrassing and needless confrontation or apologies, and increase our effectiveness for Your Kingdom in this world. 

Thought for the Day:

Once the past, the current and the fearful future issues of our life are dealt with in our mind, then we can hear God's will about the matters at hand and walk in His Spirit while we pray without ceasing and obey His direction. - Proverbs 3:5-6