Ephesians 4:15,16
“but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
God’s genious and creative power is astounding. I was at the zoo this weekend and I saw the variety of animals there. The enormous elephant. It’s amazing that they can even walk, let alone run and drink through a straw (their trunks). The lions and tigers and their ferocious roars can leap to great heights with ease. I found myself in awe several times throughout the day.
It’s an odd thing that those that work in the animal kingdom tend to be simpathetic to the evolutionary view. The creation clues couldn’t get any bigger. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” When I looked at the ape, I saw no connection to humans. The “likeness of God” that we have wasn’t there. We have that eternal soul, the ability to have morals and live by them wasn’t in the ape or any of the animals. They have instinct built within.
Something else that God built (is building) is His body, the church. Christ is the head and we are the rest of the organs and various parts. Even though we are spread throughout the world, He has us function as a body. I think of how a marching band takes up a football field. From the field level the purpose of the movements don’t appear to make sense, but from the aerial view of the stands, we can see. So, God works through us individually. We might not see His coordinated efforts fitting together, but they do and we will see the replay one day.
I’ve seen in movies how at a particular time, parts from all over were drawn to one place and every thing fits together. It was like a giant model having all it’s pieces fit together. Moving like opposite poles of a magnet come together without our help, so this giant thing was invisibly put together. This is what I think of when I imagine the body of Body of Christ. I don’t think we’ll come together, but it’s a metaphor for how God functions through the body.
What does the body do? God loves people and seeks to reconcile to everyone to Himself. He helps and heals. As we go through our day, He wants to do this through us. We are His hands and feet. He wants to use us to help, heal and draw others to Him.
This is an incredible thing to be on His team and doing His will. We aren’t aware of things ahead of time, like a receiver runs plays into the huddle. He tells us how to be: loving, kind, merciful, generous, etc. In interacting with others in this manner, we help them. We nudge them a little closer to God. We toss up prayers for guidance and help during the day. He honors them with His wisdom, love and power. He touches people through us. Somehow our meager efforts mean something larger.
This is every bit as miraculous as seeing His creation at the zoo. We have no visible coordination, yet we do His work throughout the day as does more people in Oklahoma, Missouri, Malasia, etc. We are funcioning by design if seen from an aerial view. Lord, thank You for this. Help us to be equipped and willing to be used. Help us to be a blessing to others.