Daily Thought for Tuesday, March 22nd

March 22, 2011

The Body, Part Two (Purpose)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost

which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Today’s Thought:

“United we stand, divided we fall.”– Aesop

Today’s Question

“Don’t we all have the same father?  Didn’t the same God create us all?”  -  The Bible (Malachi 2:10)

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

“Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.  This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr

What is the purpose of the body?   The exterior of our human body holds all the internal parts together so we don’t fall apart.  And of course all the internal parts work in tandem so that we can function and go about the act of living.  And also our bodies are the containers for our eternal souls while we are here on this earth.  If we are Christians, our bodies also house the person of the Holy Spirit the third person of the Trinity.

Spiritually, however the body serves a little different purpose.  The purpose of the body of Christ is to serve to unify the many parts (each individual believer) into a unified whole to accomplish the will of the Father and the work of His kingdom.

That is why unity within the body of Christ is so important.

Unfortunately in today’s world we have so many fractures and fissures within the body it is difficult for the work to get done as efficiently and effectively as it should.

Sadly this is true of the local church body to a large extent and to the global body of believers on a grandiose scale.

When a bacteria, fungus or injury occurs in our natural body, those things within us go to war against the intruding offense so that healing can occur.

However, in the body of Christ it seems when sin tries to invade we don’t attack it in unity to overcome it and bring healing and restoration; rather we individually attack with intent to annihilate and destroy or we embrace it and foster it’s ability to spread or grow.

We are supposed to build each other up, not tear each other apart.

And often we get so intent on doing what someone else is supposed to be doing instead of functioning in our intended purpose that we muck up the whole process.

God’s plan for the body of Christ was to bring all the parts of His family together to work towards the same purpose, exalting and glorifying Him and furthering His cause, message and plan for the world.

The question is are we helping or hindering the body?

Are we doing our part or trying to do someone else’s?

Are we working together for Him or working alone for us?

Today’s Verses:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

                        Psalm 133:1

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

                      Mark 3:24-25

Today’s Prayer:

Father, it seems the concept of all things working together for good needs to be applied to more than just individuals, it needs to become a global truth within the body.  Help me to do my part.

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