One Body

Do you wonder where you belong? Are you looking for a place that feels right? Would you like to know you have a specific place to be and a specific task to do? Do you know there is such a place, and you have a specific task?

We all long to be where we feel we belong. In fact, many search for that place their entire life and never find it. It is sad when you run across someone who comes to the end, knows the end is coming, and they do not feel as though they ever found their place in this world.

If you happen to be someone still searching, know that God has a place for you and a task for you to do. It is a matter of you being willing to accept Jesus and His followers. I know many who are skeptical of doing that. It can be a bit scary at first. But you can never have the peace that is beyond understanding if you do not take that step.

For those of us already in the body of Christ, the Apostle Paul is speaking directly to us. We are all members of one body. We all have a specific task or function within the body. If we haven’t found our place yet, we are not really looking. We are not saying yes when we are asked. We are not asking God to show us where He wants us or what He wants us to do. For God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).

For the body to work as it is designed, each part needs to perform how it was designed. We know this inherently when we think of our own bodies. We also understand the concept if we have played on a sports team, in a band, or been in the military. It is the same within the body of Christ. Each member must use the gifts and talents God has given them to perform the tasks He gives them for the body to function properly.

I pray we all evaluate our gifts. I pray we ask God to reveal to us how we fit within the body. I pray each one of us will put our gifts and talents to work doing what God has put before us. Know yourself. Know your gifts. Know your talents. Desire to fit within the body. Desire to do God’s work.

Romans 12:4-5 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Judge Correctly

Have you heard it is not for us to judge? Have you said that yourself? Do you believe it is wrong to judge? What if I were to tell you we are to judge? Do you know how we are judge? By what standard we are to judge?

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard Christians say we are not to judge. In one respect that is true. But on the other hand, we are to judge. Unfortunately, we often judge incorrectly. We fail to discern when to judge and when not to judge.

It is true that Jesus states in Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” But we must understand the context for His statement. We’ll cover that more in a couple days. As we see in today’s passage, Jesus clearly says to judge correctly. Therefore, we are to judge in the proper situation. How do we know when to judge?

We are to judge between right and wrong. In today’s culture, we may think that becomes a murky issue. It seems right and wrong are being redefined every day. It depends on who we are talking to what is interpreted as right or wrong. That is where we make a mistake. It does not depend on who we are talking to.

What is the standard we are to judge right and wrong? We know the answer—the Bible. God’s Word. So, the real issue is not that we are not judge. The real issue is we do not know God’s Word. To be able to judge correctly, we need to study and understand God’s commands.

In today’s passage, Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath. He is being condemned for working on the Sabbath. But Jesus tells them they are not judging correctly. He gives them the example of the Jewish law that requires circumcision on the Sabbath. He asks why it is considered good to circumcise but not heal. We, too, often do not fully understand before we pass judgment on a situation.

I pray we all study and understand God’s Word. I pray we ask God for discernment. I pray each one of us pass judgment correctly and stop judging when it is not warranted. Read God’s Word. Ask God for discernment. God’s Word is the standard. Pass judgment correctly. Understand the context in Scripture.

John 7:24 “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Desire Mercy

Have you wondered what God desires of you? Do you wonder what it is he wants you to do? Do you want to know how he wants you to behave or act? Have you spent time looking at Jesus’ very own words?

I have often heard people asking what God wants them to do. I have asked that myself. Typically, we want to know what actions, jobs, relationships, or decisions he wants of us. Our seeking is mostly personal in nature.

Perhaps we should first understand God’s general desires before we start digging into specifics. We might want to first understand God’s point of view, take on his attitude. It is from the general outlook on life that the specifics will become clearer.

In today’s passage, Jesus tells us we need to learn, understand what it means that God desires mercy rather than sacrifice. For the Jews, sacrifice was a means of obtaining forgiveness for their sins. But God wants them to be merciful more than their sacrifices.

We may think mercy is forgiveness only. However, it is far more than that. If we are merciful in the same way God is, we will not only forgive but sacrifice ourselves as well. Acts of mercy require something from us. We must give up our time, possessions, financial resources, and even our own desires.

God shows us mercy in that he does not destroy us. He does not punish us as we deserve. Instead, he has rescued us from punishment through His Son, Jesus Christ. He desires that we do the same. That we show mercy to others.

I pray we all change our outlook on life. I pray we decide to emulate the mercy God has shown to us. I pray each one of us will show mercy to others. Understand God’s mercy. Know that God has been merciful to you. Be merciful to others. Be willing to sacrifice to be merciful.

Matthew 9:12-13 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Secrets Revealed

What do you have hidden that you do not want exposed? What inner thoughts do you not want others to hear? What have you done in the past you don’t want people to know about? Do you know all secrets will be revealed?

We all have skeletons in our closets. There are things we did as children we have never told our parents about. There are things we have done as adults in a very select company we do not want made public. We keep them buried deep and never speak of them.

But Jesus tells us in today’s passage that all things will be revealed. Perhaps our only solace is that won’t happen until the day of judgment. And the good news about that day is Jesus will stand beside us and state that He has paid for it. We will not be judged for it.

Unfortunately, there are things we have done for which we have been punished in this life. Not because God necessarily decided to punish us, but because there are consequences for our actions. Some things are not kept hidden and some are done right out in the open.

Let’s look at a few examples. If we are rude and obnoxious toward people, is it any wonder they don’t want to be around us? If we cheat someone out money or possessions, do we expect them to simply absorb the loss? If we break the law and are caught, can we reasonably expect not to be punished?

But Jesus isn’t just talking about our laws. He is also talking about breaking His commands, namely, to love God and love neighbor. When we fail to treat others with the same love and respect Jesus treated people, we must understand all those occasions will be made known. We might be in for an extreme embarrassment at a later date.

I pray we all realize our actions, thoughts, and attitudes will be brought out into the open. I pray we decide to love with the love of Jesus. I pray each one of us commits to cleaning up our act and ask Jesus to help us do so. All will be revealed. We will stand before God one day. Jesus will stand with us. Show His love to others. Show respect to Him in all you do.

Mark 4:21-22 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.”

Condemning Ourselves

Are you an actor? Do you expect people to act a certain way, but not yourself?  Do you get upset at someone doing something, but do the very same thing yourself? Do you know the proper term for that is hypocrite, someone who acts one way in one setting, but differently in another?

We are inundated with judgementalism in today’s culture. Everywhere we turn, someone is looking down their nose at someone else. It has gone far beyond friendly competition or rivalries and proceeded directly into courtrooms or the court of public opinion.

We also see this happening in our churches. It may be as simple as one church conducting an event for years and another church decides it would be a good idea for them to conduct one. The first church is now upset and spreads opinions the second church doesn’t conduct it as well as they do, rather than rejoicing that more people are being drawn toward God.

It may be as dastardly as a grudge from decades ago continuing to be held between churches. At some point, there was an offense, or something was deemed unfair between the two. Rather than showing God’s grace to one another, being willing to forgive, there is dissention.

Of course, it occurs person to person. One person judges another for having a glass of wine. The other judges another for cussing like a sailor. That one judges another for their sexual preferences. They judge someone for being old fashioned. The list goes on and on.

As Paul tells the Roman church, when we do this, we are condemning ourselves. We, who are passing judgment, do the very same things. By this it is meant that we are sinners ourselves. Not one of us is perfect. Not one of us can earn our way into eternal glory. Each and every one of us need God’s grace. He calls us to love as He loves and show grace as He shows grace.

I pray we all give up our judgmentalism. I pray we show grace to others as God shows us grace. I pray each one of us will love all people as God loves us and them. Stop judging. Show grace. Love your neighbor. Love all people. Do not condemn yourself. Remember we all sin. We all need grace.

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

Heart Condition

Are you continually looking for more? Are you jealous of how much others have? Do you look upon those with much and think they acquired it dishonestly? Are you angered by your lack and the plenty of others?

We have often heard it said the world is not fair and it is true. We can easily observe the haves and the have nots. You may fall into one of those categories or somewhere in between. However, many of us will look at ourselves as being in the second category.

Why do we think we fall in the have not category? We always want more. Take a look at today’s passage. Read it slowly. Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying. Contemplate what He is saying. Read it as many times as you need for His words to sink in, have an impact.

Do you see what He says about receiving more? If we are willing to give, we will receive. Sound contradictory, paradoxical, upside down? The Apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver. If God loves a cheerful giver, it makes sense that He will provide the giver with the means to give.

Also notice how Jesus groups judging, condemning, and forgiving, with giving and receiving. These are all about attitude. They are about the heart condition. God is all about our heart condition. Perhaps we should be about our heart condition as well.

I pray we all take Jesus’ words to heart. I pray we desire to change our heart condition. I pray each one of us asks God to make our heart to be like that of Jesus. Give up judging. Stop condemning. Be willing to forgive. Give generously to those in need. Give generously to God. Receive God’s blessings.

Luke 6:37-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Humbly Submit to God’s Plan

Have you ever thought you were following God’s plan for your life only to find out you were not? Was it because you were following your own idea of what God should do? Were you pursuing what you what you thought would be ideal in a perfect world?

We are like Peter sometimes. We think we know what God should do or what He is about to do. We take initiative. We start down a path. Or we simply pray, telling God to bless our efforts with the false sense we are doing what He wants.

There are times we must step back. We must pause. We must ask God what His plan is. We must listen for His quiet voice to lead us. It is when we do this, we find we are truly following His plan and are richly blessed with success.

Yes, Peter thought it was horrendous that Jesus must die. We might forgive Peter since he was just a fisherman and not highly educated. But even those who are highly educated go off doing their own thing. In fact, it is sometimes because of their high level of education they think they know what God is doing.

It is the humble who will follow God’s plan. It is the person who realizes they are nowhere near as intelligent as God who will hear Him speak. It is the willing soul who takes up the mantle of God and proceeds to carry out His work.

I pray we all humble ourselves before God. I pray we give up pursuing our own desires. I pray each one of us will spend time asking God to reveal His plan to us and willingly follow it. Humble yourself before God. Ask God to reveal His plan to you. Commit to following God’s plan rather than your own. Know that God will bless you.

Mark 8:33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

God’s Will Be Done

What are you praying for? What do you pray for yourself? What do you pray for others? Are you praying for material possessions? Are you praying for guidance? Do you pray for wisdom and understanding? Do you pray to know the will of God?

We pray for many things. We often pray for personal blessings or decisions in this world. In fact, they often have very little to do with God’s work. Praying to know His will for our lives or what we need to do to fulfill His plan is far too often low on our priority, if thought about at all.

Read today’s passage, then read it again. The Apostle Paul and his companions were praying continually for God’s will and His blessings to equip the church in Colossae for His work. They prayed that the church would bear fruit and be granted the strength and power of God to do so. Isn’t that amazing?

What do you suppose would happen in our churches if we prayed as Paul prayed? Perhaps we would see amazing ministries going on. Perhaps we would see our members filled to overflowing with the Spirit of God. Maybe, just maybe, we would see our churches flourishing and making a huge difference in our communities.

Would it not be wonderful to make a positive impact on our communities? Would it not be exhilarating to live in the light of the kingdom of God? Wouldn’t it be amazing to live in the knowledge of having an inheritance that cannot be taken away from us? It is all there for us to take hold of. It comes as we give up ourselves and take on Jesus. It comes as we spend time praying earnestly that God reveal His plan and empower us to execute it for Him.

I pray we all pray for wisdom from God. I pray we earnestly seek to know His plan. I pray each one of us will ask God to empower us to carry out His will and give us the courage to do so. Earnestly pray. Ask for wisdom. Ask for understanding. As to be empowered. Ask for courage. Seek to carry out God’s will.

Colossians 1:9b-12 We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

Priority Prayer

What do you pray for? What is at the top of your prayer list? What remains on your prayer list every time you pray? Is it something personal? Is it something that will help you follow His plan? Is there anything that is always on your prayer list?

We pray for many things. We pray for good health, jobs, good weather, safe travel, healing, justice, equal opportunity and treatment, wrongs to be righted, and the list goes on. But is there something we should pray for that is more important than all of these?

I propose there is. The Apostle Paul says he continually prays for wisdom and revelation (or understanding) for the church in Ephesus. He does the same for the church in Colossae in Colossians 1:9-13. Praying for wisdom and revelation/understanding means to ask God to grant us a look at His plan, to understand what He is doing. The purpose is so we can follow His plan.

It is with wisdom we can make better decisions. It is with understanding that we can do what God wants us to do. It is with both that we can step into a situation to bring about calm, reasoning, and provide a positive way forward. It is with both wisdom and understanding that we can see things as God sees them.

Asking God for wisdom and understanding is not just for us. We should also ask they be granted to family, friends, co-workers, and other Christians. God is willing to grant them if we ask with an honest yearning for them.

I pray we all ask God for His wisdom. I pray we ask God to reveal His plan and grant us understanding. I pray each one of us will seek to know Him better with an honest heart. Pray continually. Pray for what is important to you. Pray to know God. Pray for wisdom. Pray for revelation. Pray for understanding. Pray with an honest heart.

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Follow Good Guidance

Have you been in a class and not really understood what was being taught until much later? Has someone tried to explain something to you, and you just didn’t get it? Did it all of a sudden make sense several minutes, hours, or even days later?

We have all had times when we didn’t understand something initially, but it made sense later. We have had that “Ah-ha” moment. Something happened that caused us to put the pieces together. We remember what we were told earlier.

I can remember being told to do something a certain way, not understand why, did it the way I thought, and things didn’t turn out well. I remember thinking, “I should have done it the way I was told.” Being a parent, I have given advice to a child, seen it ignored, seen them struggle or fail due to not listening, but not said, “I told you so.”

In today’s passage, we see both of these situations play out. The disciples did not fully understand what Jesus was telling them until after the resurrection. Jesus had told them on multiple occasions He would be tortured and killed. They couldn’t or didn’t want to believe it. After seeing the resurrected Jesus, what He told them made sense, they saw it come to fruition.

Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus say, “I told you so.” Instead, Jesus allows them to see the truth for themselves. He allows them to put the pieces together. They then go about doing the work He set before them. They understood they needed to tell others about what happened. The news was too good to keep to themselves.

I pray we all listen to good advice. I pray we seek to understand what God is telling us. I pray each one of us follows Jesus’ commands rather than finding out later we should have. Listen to good guidance. Follow Jesus’s commands. Seek to understand. Know that God wants the best for you.

John 12:16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.