Day 6

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"
Ephesians 4:11-13

The bible can be very daunting; I'm just trying to be honest.

Though I do enjoy the time spent reading it, who hasn't grabbed their bible with wide eyes, wondering some variant of, "Where in the world should I start today?"

Often times, I can take a cautious approach to reading the bible. I want something 'light' today so I'll read a few Psalms, I need to work on being 'nicer' to those around me so I'll read some of the letters Paul wrote out to the churches; things like that.

Instead of actually investing my time in the word and allowing God to be the one who points out what he wants to show me, without even realizing it, I have predetermined what I should get out of my devotions that day. As I read my passage half heartedly, is it any wonder when I don't get a lot out of my forced devotions? Certainly not!

I point this out in my own life because I think that people take this same mindset when it comes to serving in a church, but more importantly, being a member in the body of Christ.

Earlier in the exact same chapter of Ephesians, Paul writes over the perfect unity that is Christ. Regardless the Godhead, God is still perfectly consistent, and perfectly one. God designed the church to point back to him through its unity. When the church functions as God always intended it to, it cannot do anything BUT point back to him and give him glory!

As much as each individual would love to see their church step up to be that perfect model church, we can get lost in how daunting that task is; get lost in the mundane week to week nuances that can seem like a never ending chore more than an actual way to serve God.

Effectively, we can't see the forest for the trees.

Just like how I step back from really investing myself into a true time where I devote my thoughts and heart to God by reading his word, the church can metaphorically invest themselves only where they feel comfortable. Instead of allowing God to be sovereign and point the church towards what he wants done, the church can sometimes, though well intended, say, "Here is what we are comfortable doing, as well as what we've seen work in the past. This is how we will serve God."

Though God can still work through that church, like in my devotional life, we will miss out on the many opportunities God had placed for us had we decided to allow him to fully lead.

It all starts with us, as individuals. God has really challenged me here in this area, being a young, single female. I often feel as though I don't have a 'right' to plug into the church and serve God until I am older, wiser, and married. I know how inaccurate this is, but it is an honest struggle for me to work around. Through these verses though, God really confronted me with this heart issue.

God has given us (Me) spiritual gifts that when used properly, will encourage and challenge fellow believers in Christ. Not only am I a part of this spiritual equation of the body of Christ, I am a necessary part! God specifically gave those gifts so when (not if) his people plug into the body of Christ, they are fulfilling a role God specifically chose, and equipped them for.

When this does not happen, the body of Christ is missing that key element that was made for the perfecting of the Saints. Every member is a vital piece and instrument used to serve God and unify the body of Christ. We cannot choose where we are comfortable serving and still expect God to move in mighty ways.

As individuals, and ultimately as the body of Christ, we need to admonish and edify each other, and unite under Christ so that when God does move, a watching world will see and know that God is Lord. I don't know what God is planning in my life, or for my church, but I know that when God moves, I want to be ready to serve him, and ready to encourage those serving with me, 'Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God!