Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Geoff Moore singing his song … The Body of Christ … poignantly singing how we are called as Christians to come together to be the working Body of Christ.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Daniel 3:17-18 [NLT] … 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
… Unity was the Spirit-imparted power of the early Church.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Daniel 3:6-18 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …
… The early, post-resurrection church came together to form Christ’s Body.
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Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:3-4 [NLT] … 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
… God exhorts the Church to be united in oneness by God’s Spirit.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
… Avoiding pride and self sufficiency, Christians are to reach out to help others before self.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 10:24-25 [NLT] … 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
… We must resist our “natural” tendency toward individualism and control and come together in the Spirit of Christlikeness.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Linda Washingtom, used a story about a friend’s daughter to illustrate the oneness we should pursue and achieve in the Body of Christ. The ODB author wrote: My friend Carrie’s five-year-old daughter, Maija, has an interesting approach to playtime. She loves mixing together dolls from different playsets to come up with a new community. In the world of her imagination, everything belongs together. These are her people. She believes they are happiest when they’re together, despite being different sizes and shapes.
I’m afraid that readers here may be somewhat discouraged by taking in the linked YouTube song and meditating on the Scriptures above. They point to a unified Body of Christ, working together to be His ears, eyes, hands, legs, and his mind here on earth.
BUT … Is that the case? … I’m afraid we, as a culture, are driving - if not free-falling - toward individual pridefulness, self gratification, entitlement, and outright selfishness, … rather than coming to be - or become - Christ’s body, held together, activated, and empowered by His Spirit.
So, fellow Christ … what can we do today - or tomorrow - to be or become that One Body, reaching out from One Spirit, to serve a broken, darkened world? Certainly the least we could do is smile at someone and do all we can to help them.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for giving me Your grace to reach out and be You for someone today.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help me to smile at/for someone who seems to need Your loving touch today. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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