The Body of Christ

 

It is so good and pleasant for the Body of Christ to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1). Our love for Jesus and for one another is a testimony to the world that He really does dwell within us (John 13:35).

At the same time, we are also citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). Our great High Priest is our King as well. He gave His life to allow us unlimited access to our Father’s throne (Hebrews 4:16).

The bond of Christ’s love for us and in us brings unity to all of us in His Body no matter where we live or how old we are (1 Corinthians 1:10). We stand together in our faith by one Spirit. We think, act and believe as one Body (Philippians 1:27, 2:2).

As the Spirit sanctifies each one of us, we learn to conduct our self as an example of the gospel of Christ. We prefer one another above our self (Romans 12:10) and we search the scriptures together to come to a similar understanding of His Word (Acts 17:11).

When one member of Christ’s Body suffers, we all suffer; and when one rejoices, we all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:26). As authentic Believers, we are individually and corporately an exact representation of Christ (Colossians 1:15).

We all share the same vision to live Godly, and the same purpose to save souls. Every tongue, tribe and nation will all spend eternity with one another in His presence (Titus 3:5-7).

The Spirit unifies us with the Father through Christ (John 17:21-22). We share in the unity of the triune God; and we live as an example to the world of a God of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23; John 17:21).

Prayer:

Father God, help us as Your Body to put on the mind of Christ, to speak the words given to us by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your will for each moment of our day. Remind us to glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character gives us hope.

Hope prevents us from experiencing shame, because Your love has been poured out into our hearts through Your Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1-5). Your purpose for our life is to be conformed to the image of Your Son (Romans 8:29). Restore our relationships within Your Body and unite us as a testimony of Your life and love within us.

Thought for the Day:
We walk with Christ each day and learn to trust Him and love Him through every circumstance, both the good experiences and the trials.

Eternal Union

In three places, the Bible states, “Ye are gods” (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34; Isaiah 41:23). Some people take this to an extreme and declare that they are a god and equal to God. Some declare that God dwells universally in everything; therefore, we are all God.

The union between God and mankind is relational, we do not become a god or equal with God (Genesis 3:5). The verses following those statements prove that God is not referring to people as equal to Himself (Psalm 82:7; John 10:35-36).

These verses actually refer to people being God’s representatives as His Saints; or to us as children of God and co-heirs with Christ, living worthy of our calling in Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

We are not God or a god, but we achieve an intimate union with God through Jesus Christ within us. We totally depend upon His divine power filling every part of our body, soul and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

The key element of living in union with Christ is to submit the absolute control of our life to God. Unconditional surrender to Christ offers us eternal life now in this life, which brings us total peace and fulfillment.

Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness in exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21). He lives in us and He loves humanity through us. At the moment of salvation, we become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus gives us His knowledge of eternity. We readily believe God, not with our human faith, but with the divine faith of Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Father God, we are often so busy with our own little world, that we fail You time and again. Moses requested Your presence as Israel obeyed Your directive to conquer the Promised Land. He knew that Your presence would distinguish Israel from all the other nations of the world (Exodus 33:15-17).

We have You within us by Your Spirit. Use our relationship in You to help us to win the unsaved for You. You desire a people filled with Your presence and reflecting Your glory, a living testimony of Your love and power in the earth. Teach us to be a city on a hill and to shine Your light in us for all the world to see (Matthew 5:14).

Thought for the Day:

May we be a people who demonstrate the ‘shekinah’ glory of God – the manifest radiance of His glory - to a lost and dying world all around us.

 

Hungry and Thirsty

Jesus proclaimed that we are blessed when we hunger and thirst after His holiness, because He shall fill us (Matthew 5:6). We hunger for spiritual meat and drink, rather than spiritual junk food.

Junk food gives us the false impression of being satisfied. We feel full and enjoy the taste; yet it leaves us lacking in essential vitamins and minerals, which our body needs to function.

The same is true spiritually. If we dabble in religion, we get fat and malnourished. Yet, if we respond to the Holy Spirit when He draws us to God, we are filled with His goodness (John 6:44).

When we hunger and thirst for God we find His blessings, peace, joy and love. He gives us His eternal perspective. We live to do only the will of God with our life.

We align our life with His Word and His Spirit, praising Him with unceasing songs, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:17-19). As a city sitting high on a hill, our light cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

We are His Body and He works in and through us; continually drawing us to His side and filling us with His spiritual blessings and eternal presence (Ephesians 1:3).

We make a difference in our world, because we do the works of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16; John 6:29). We see the fruit of our spiritual labors and we rejoice and are humbled to be of service to our King.

Prayer:

Father God, let our life be a shining light into the dark world around us. Help us to avoid sin at all cost and to live as a testimony of Your saving grace in our life. As we love You with all of our heart, remind us to lean on You and not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remove any pride and rebellion from our life, which hinders us from obeying Your Word. Help us to walk in Your Spirit, to live the Christ life in this world, to follow where You lead us and to rejoice ever more in the center of Your will for each moment of the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28).

Thought for the Day:

We can trust in the Lord because we know His name, nature and character and realize that He never forsakes those who seek Him. - Psalm 9:10