2 Corinthians 1:17-20 (Yes and No)

¹⁷ You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? ¹⁸ As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

"What, you mean this sweater is marked down an extra 25%?  "Yes!" 
"May I have a grande, nonfat, hazelnut misto?"  "Yes!"
"Josh, are you sure we can afford that anniversary trip to Hawaii?"  "Yes!"

We love to hear "yes," don't we?  (For the record, Josh has not said 'yes' to that last one...yet.)  Just thinking about the word 'yes' makes my eyebrows go up and brings a smile to my face.

Here, Paul continues to explain why he had planned a trip to see the Corinthians but then changed his plan (we learn later that it was for their good).  The false teachers are trying to turn the people against him by accusing Paul of being wishy-washy because of this, so these above verses are Paul's response.

This is not the only time in the Bible where "yes and no" are the subject.  Matthew 5 has these words from Jesus: "And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Anytime something in the Bible is the focus more than once, I know to pay attention.  Jesus Himself gave us this command!  He must know something about us...and boy does He!  Giving someone our word should be simple, keeping our word should be paramount, and explaining a 'no' is not necessary. Molly, the People Pleaser, continues to learn this a little more every year.  Maybe you need to hear it from someone like I did: IT'S ABSOLUTELY OKAY, AND SOMETIMES BEST, TO SAY NO!  

Example: Just this past weekend, I was the beneficiary of a delicious, homemade cookie from one of our dear friends, Chad.  He was handing them out in the sanctuary, which I thought was a little odd, but absolutely accepted one immediately anyway...of course.  Then, he explained to us that they were given to him by 4-year-old, Leah.  Leah is the daughter of two of our other dear friends, and she absolutely adores Chad.  The reason she adores him is because he lived with Leah and her family for a few months right before he got married after his current lease was up.  Leah and Chad are the sweetest of buddies because of that time together.

Now, here's the lesson I learned, and why I even share this story: Josh had asked me if we could house Chad during that season.  I absolutely love Chad; in fact, I even have a pet name for him, which I have for all people I dearly love, so that's my proof.  And I wanted to say 'yes' so badly because 1) Chad needed a place to stay, and 2) we have extra beds and a bathroom.  The kicker was that my sister had been living with us for a while and she was just moving out -- they would probably even overlap for a few days.  Adding up their time combined, we would have had house guests in our home for a full year, which was a long time for me to not be able to feel the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, in my own house, especially after we had also just lived with Dad for 9 months.  Could we have housed people for a year?  Absolutely!  Would it have been best for the Monroe Marriage?  Probably not.  So, we heard that Leah's family had offered, and so we said 'no'.  And oh gosh, it was painful, but deep down, I really knew that was the best answer for us.

Did Chad manage without living at our house?  Umm, absolutely.  Was he mad that was said no?  Not at all.  Was it the best decision?  100% yes...Chad and Leah met each other, and Josh and I had a few months alone before that sister (who will remain nameless) moved back in for a few months before SHE got married!  It's comical, really...

And none of that would have happened if I'd said 'yes'.  

"...and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory."

We all prefer to hear 'yes', don't we?  It usually means that we're getting what we want.  And look at what this says about God.  He definitely gives a sure answer, yes or no, but He loves to say 'yes' to us.  And He did through Jesus. 

God, will I ever get out of this depression?  Yes.
Lord, will I ever feel peace and joy again?  Yes.
Father, will I ever be able to quit thinking about myself and focus more on others?  Yes. 
Abba, will I ever be done with the craziness of this world?  Yes.

Through Jesus Christ.

Whatever our concerns, the answer is found in Jesus Christ.  God smiles and says 'yes' through Him.  As these verses remind us, the Lord ALWAYS does what He says He'll do, and ALL of His promises are completely fulfilled.  

Can we let that sink in?  Your God will do what He says He'll do today and forever, and He fulfills EVERY single promise to us.  So if you ever question either of those statements, the answer is always, always, always... 'yes'.  :)

2 Corinthians 1:12-14 (Loving Conflict)

¹² We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. ¹³ Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, ¹⁴ even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

If you'll recall, Paul is writing this letter to the Corinthians because he had sent them a previous letter that was apparently quite severe, urging them to remain Christ-centered in their beliefs and conduct.  I think it was probably a loving but strict disciplinary letter, and it was not received as Paul had hoped. (Does this surprise us?  It's pretty normal for people to get mad at us for pointing out their short-comings -- we are usually doing the 'bad stuff' we're doing because we like it!)  To make matters worse, some men then came to their town claiming to be apostles, but were instead false teachers, who challenged Paul's teachings and even his authority as an apostle.  The people are turning away!

So, you could say Paul is in a bit of a conundrum.

For the next 2 chapters, he is trying to prove his authority as well as his love for these people, since he had spent 18 months with them when he first came to Corinth.  They know him.  But as soon as he was no longer with them, it appears that many have gone back to their old ways.  Oh, how we need a Shepherd, don't we?

Paul's visit made him sad to see how they were living; so he sent a stern letter; that backfired and now people have really turned away from him.  And now here, in these verses, we get to see how Paul is choosing to move forward with these people.

"We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings."  Here is what he does have going for him.  He knows deep in his own heart, and with no shame or regret, that he has lived a holy life (with God's help) and has been genuine and honest in what he does.  If we're going to lovingly point out the sin in someone else's life, or even just spur them on to doing something better, we had better be a living example ourselves!  In order to do this, we need to know what it means to live a holy life, and we need to choose to be genuine and honest in everything, not making ourselves out to be better than we are.

We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom.  Ahhh, yes.  Here's another kicker.  Keep the pride low!  When confronting another, we need to remember "there but for the grace of God go I."  Anything good in my life, including my choices, is a gift from God.  He is the one who allows me to even understand His wisdom and gives me the desire to do things His way.  I am nothing, absolutely nothing, without Him.  And may I remember my own sin, because even on our holiest days, we are still not perfect.  May I get my mind in THAT position before I ever talk to someone about their short-comings.

Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand.   And let's be sure of this -- no beating around the bush or using fancy, highfalutin words that make us feel powerful and the other person feel small.  There is nothing that erks me more than being around people who use words and knowledge I don't understand and obviously feel superior by doing so.  Instead, I want to think about my audience, and let my eyes and tone do the talking as for the condition of my heart.

I hope someday you will fully understand us, ¹⁴ even if you don’t understand us now.  Here is the most challenging part of all: you can do all of these things perfectly, but the results are still out of your control.  As much as we may wish good for someone, they have to wish it for themselves, too.  We can't be more invested in them than they are!  And so, I like how Paul has put it all out there, but then releases the result to God.  He also gives the people the respect to still make their own choices, but he gently lets them know his hope for them.  Wow.  Thank you for that example, Paul.

Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.   He still has hope for them, that when Jesus returns, they will be following Him once again.  It's quite obvious he's not giving up on these people or leaving them completely on their own and washing his hands of them.  And even with all that is going on, he reminds them that he is proud of them.  He is proud for what they have done, and he loves them deeply.

What a great example this is for me as I encounter people today.  And perhaps you have a situation that needs straightening or a conversation that needs to occur...may this be fresh in our minds as we continue one step closer to living like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (The God of All Comfort, Part 3 -- Final)

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

In verse 8, Paul doesn't go into any detail about what the problems were exactly that they encountered.  We only know from the following sentence that he felt under great pressure, far beyond his own ability to continue, and he wished he were dead.  Does that sound at all familiar to you?  Read that again.  If you are experiencing one or all three of those feelings right now, listen up.  The Bible has a power-packed sentence coming in just a moment for you.

In verse 9, he says "we felt we had received the sentence of death."  Perhaps you are either 1) experiencing a situation in work or at home where it feels like a death sentence; 2) someone close to you has actually been given a death sentence; or 3) you have been told that your days left are few on this earth.  Whatever your current scenario may be, here comes the "But."

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

The Lord wants us to trust Him no matter what, and He gives us opportunities to do this daily, but some of those 'opportunities' are definitely more difficult than others.

After the D&C, I felt so empty.  Up to that point, I still had a baby that I carried -- whether it was alive or dead.  But when I woke up from the procedure, I immediately sobbed.  Someone had died (a few days before), the body was not gone, and he or she took a little part of my heart with them.  The weight of death pressed heavily in those moments.

Now, as I see friends, co-workers, and strangers all around me with their healthy pregnancies and new born babies, it is so hard to not want to run away to a deserted beach somewhere for the next few seasons.  I find myself not even wanting to be around them at all because it is a painful reminder of my own loss.  I ask myself if it is some sort of sick joke that some dear friends of ours just let us know they are pregnant and are due one day after our due date would have been.  Really, Lord?  How am I supposed to go on?  And that's when I remember...

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God..." 

And let's not over look the four words that come right after that statement,  "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."  There are multiple places in Scripture where that four-word phrase is added.  And why?  It is a reminder of His POWER.  He is the only being who can restore cold, lifeless bodies to life again.  THAT is the kind of power my God has!  Surely, if He can do that, He can teach me what I need to learn from this incredibly sad experience, and He will.  He can do anything!

¹⁰ "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us"  This is a great reminder to us -- we are not perfect.  When we sink back into our cycles of fear, sadness, and worry, He will come and deliver us.  Again and again.  He will always be continuing to deliver us (that's present tense).  So often as Christians, we think that because we have Christ and are full of joy, we should never be sad.  Not true.  Wait, you didn't catch that.  NOT TRUE!  Tears were created by God, and they have a purpose -- they cleanse.  So let them flow...or as Josh loves to quote, "It's just my awesomeness oozing out."  And some days, boy, I have an awful lot of awesomeness!  And even in those moments, when the tears have been steadily flowing again and again and again, God comes to us.  He comes, He comforts, He rescues, and He delivers us from the trappings of this world.  It is on Him and His plan for our eternity that we have set our hope.  

¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  So, what if you're not going through a down-season right now?  You have a job to do, too!  Prayer.  Praying and believing.  Just as people prayed for us and we FELT God's presence, peace, and comfort in the most difficult of moments, we all need to be praying for one another.  And when God answers those prayers, then we can be filled with gratitude for his gracious favor.  He does answer our prayers.

Please let me know how I may be praying for you, my friend.  If you are going through a difficult season, may I walk beside you?  And my prayer is that you will choose to take time to be still and silent with God, tears and all, and let Him give comfort to your heart.  He has so much for you in this season, and He is walking beside you, leading you through the darkness, in the midst of the pain.  Turn to Him.

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (The God of All Comfort, Part 2)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Note:  If you did not read yesterday's post, you will want to stop here and read it.

Okay, so now to dig in to the Word...

First of all, look at verse 1.  Paul addresses this whole letter to "the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia (Greece)."  So these words are not just for a city, but for a nation.  These words are not just for some small people group, but they are for the whole of us -- Christ followers. Greece was a bustling seaport, full of all kinds of cosmopolitan sin, and it was very difficult for these new Christians to stay focused on Christ when people were telling them all kinds of "truth".  So, Paul wrote to them to encourage them and spur them to continue to remember Christ.  So, it's interesting that he starts by talking about God's comfort.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,..."  I am struck by the words that are used to describe God the Father.  I'm saddened when I hear people talk about God as a far-away being who likes to inflict hardship on us and who watches us from a distance.  Instead, God the Father is the complete opposite.  Look here -- He's the Father of compassion (He created it), and He's the God of all comfort.  ALL comfort.  Not just comfort for some people in some certain circumstances.  If you need comfort, HE is the source -- for everyone in everything.  Now, this particular letter refers to believers who suffer for Jesus' sake, but if we know that God is the source of ALL comfort, we can apply this to our own lives as well, even if our biggest burden today is not persecution for our faith.

"who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  Many people think that when God comforts us, our troubles must "go away."  But if that were so, then people would only turn to God out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him.  So we must understand that "comfort" from God can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to continue in the midst of our troubles.  This is what I have experienced this summer.  The pain didn't go away and healing on this side of Heaven wasn't granted.  But I did receive strength, encouragement, and hope to continue.  And because He doesn't always take us out of our troubles, we are then able to comfort others.  Let me tell you that much of the comfort I received came from other human beings.  I think God so often uses little ol' us to be His hands and feet (in fact, He tells us that He uses us in that way).  And so I experienced God's love and comfort through others, especially those who had walked a similar road as I was walking.  It's quite beautiful, really.  He doesn't have to make it this way, but He chooses to give us ways to use the experiences of our pain as a gift to others.

"For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." Or as the NLT puts it, "For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ."  If your current suffering has anything to do with your belief in Christ, you can rest assured that you will experience even more comfort as your suffering continues.  There will be hard times when we follow Christ, but this assures us that those won't be more than the good times of His healing comfort.  He doesn't leave us out to dry alone.

"If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."  Firstly, this verse tells us that suffering is for our benefit.  That theme is all throughout the Bible.  The donkey does not move until the sharp stick pokes him in the rump!  And so it is with us -- we will choose to stay right where we are (because it's comfortable) unless someone or something comes along that forces us to move forward and change.  Hence, God allows suffering into our lives, and perhaps even sometimes directs it to us, but only for our good.  And there is nothing more promising to observe in the life of a Christian, than their "patient endurance" in suffering.  

And so that is my prayer for us today: To be able to sit in the suffering without trying to run away, hide, or push it away, but instead with our eyes fixed on Him as He directs us through the darkness.  He DOES know the way, and He WILL lead us to the Light.  May you feel His strength, hear His encouraging words to you, and be filled with His hope to continue.  He is still working in this.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7 (The God of All Comfort, Part 1)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Greetings, my long lost friends!
So, I decided to take the summer off from blogging.  Normally, one would think summer would be the best time to blog, but I do much better when I have routine; and quite frankly, I just needed to rest.  Then, little did I know, that due to a few things that happened over the summer, a break from blogging was probably part of God's plan anyway.

And so, here is one main thing I have learned this summer: God comforts us.

When I decided to jump back into the blog this weekend, and saw that I had ended on 1 Corinthians pre-summer, I figured that 2 Corinthians was probably a great place to continue.  Oh my surprise when I saw what the first few verses had to say to me this morning...another reminder that God Himself comforts us. (Read the above verses and just soak them up. We'll dig into them tomorrow, but I wanted to share a story of God's comfort with you.)

It was early July when I found out I was pregnant.  I was shocked, over-joyed, thankful...everything!  I had wondered, and then the test confirmed...I am a mama, which, of course, got me thinking about my mama.  I wondered what she felt when she found out she was pregnant.  I was in a Target bathroom stall, and I hoped she was some place much more glamorous when she found out.  As one could expect, I immediately began cherishing the life that grew within me and started planning how I would tell Josh when he returned from a business trip a few days later.

And so over the weeks, the baby continued to grow, and Josh and I continued to get more and more excited.  It's incredible how quickly you get attached to this new person you don't even know.

Then, Friday night, July 27th, my mom's birthday,  the cramps and bleeding began.  My heart just knew this wasn't good news.  I sobbed as I began to say goodbye to this little life.  My mom had also lost her first and third babies, and I so desperately wished she were here to comfort me and tell me what to do.  We headed to the hospital.

We spent the evening in the ER.  Four of our friends met us there, held my hand, and prayed with us for hours as we waited.  Finally, the ultrasound tech arrived, and Josh and I saw the little heartbeat for the first time.  Baby wasn't gone yet!  So we went home and waited, though they warned us, it wasn't looking good.  But that was fine with me, I knew my God was bigger than any ultrasound image.  He could heal our baby -- He was the only one that could.  

For two weeks, we continued to wait.  Every cramp, every potty break, sent my mind running with thoughts about the future of our little family.  

Two weeks later, I had a follow up appointment which ultimately revealed there was no longer a heartbeat.  

We were crushed, and I wondered why God did not spare the life of my little one.  Then, the dreams of our future with this baby began to unravel.  The death of dreams can cause grief just as much as the death of people.  There was a lot of grief.

A D&C was required,  and again, friends and family came with us to the hospital, sat in waiting rooms with us, prayed with us, brought us food, called to check up on us, sent flowers and other gifts, and came by our home individually for 10 minutes unannounced just to give us a hug and cry with us for a few, short moments.  They were incredible.  They were God's love to us in those moments, and we were so incredibly thankful.  What would we have done without our community? 

And so we continue to grief the loss of "Blueberry" as we call him/her.  We still talk about that sweet baby and all that we experienced in those weeks, and we also are beginning to process this whole season.  I'm sure we will discover more revelations as we move forward, but I have been greatly struck by one thing:  All along, people sent us cards, texts, voice mails -- all that said they were "praying we'd feel God's love, peace, and comfort during this tragic time."  And here's the kicker...we did.  We absolutely do feel His love, comfort, and peace, in a way that is beyond human understanding or expectation.  What stuck out to me in all of this was how often we pray that prayer, but we don't really BELIEVE that He will answer it in a way that we will really feel His love, peace, and comfort.  How often do I pray prayers that I don't really expect God to answer?  But He does...and then we're surprised.  Why?

What also has been very apparent as I reflect on this summer is that in each trial of my life, I have wanted God to mold me more into who He wants me to be -- a person with more trust, a trust that comes quicker than the last time; a person with less guiding emotion and more guiding faith.  And here's another thing that shocked me: I am.  

I didn't know this until now, but this time, in the midst of my grief, I ran to God faster than I did when I lost my mom.  This time, I prayed more honestly.  This time, I recognized God's presence and His touch like a comforting, well-worn sweater that I was aware I had worn before.  I was able to look to Him, not perfectly nor in every moment by any means, but each day, I find myself choosing to turn back to Him and trusting Him to lead me in the dark.

...And so here is my new prayer.  I don't want to pray and ask God WHY anymore.  I don't want to say, "Why did you let my mom get cancer?  Why did you let her die?  Why did you let my baby die? Why are you making me go through this?"  Instead, I so desperately want my prayer to be WHAT.  "What are you trying to teach me in this, Lord?  What are you going to do in and through me because of this circumstance?  What can I do now for others because of this experience that I couldn't have done before?"  These are the questions of faith.  These are the questions that help me to focus not on the darkness in which I may currently find myself, but rather on the only One who knows the path in the midst of my darkness that leads to an unimaginable light.  He is the Light in all of my darkness.

He has comforted us.  Just like He said He would.  I continue to feel His arms wrapping us up, despite the tears that seemed to flow constantly this weekend.  He holds us, and He cries with us.  He comforts us, deep in our hearts.

In the meantime, I'm trusting Jesus and Mom to love on that baby until we get to meet him or her someday.  I had always felt so sad to think that Mom wouldn't know her first grandchild...and now she knows him or her even before we do.  I think they are probably all having a great time together, and that image also brings me comfort.

I love you, Jesus.  I love you, Mom.  I love you, Blue.

1 Corinthians 12 (The Comparisson Game Part 2)

I love the many metaphors in the Bible: water is truth and knowledge, a tree is used to describe Jesus and also to describe us when we're planted by the stream (water), as well as the many metaphors referencing light, the rock, storms, fruit, etc.

Notice what is true here: they are all things in nature!  I love that.  God didn't create a metaphor with the telegraph, since that lovely invention has come and gone; instead, He uses His own creation, which He know will outlast all of man's inventions.

So it is with today's metaphor: the human body.

The human body represents all Christians everywhere, all Christians in your church, all Christians in your family or on your street.  No matter which group of Christians you observe, this metaphor works for them all:  we are one body (through the Holy Spirit) with many different and equally important parts.

 ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 

This reminds us that we do not need other labels to define us -- our race, our gender, our political position -- but rather, the only label we need is Christ.  We used to independently call our own shots, but now we belong to something even greater than ourselves.  As I constantly remind myself: it's not about ME.  It's about HIM.

But, as I shared yesterday, in our humanness, we often think it would be better if we were given a different gift or task...

 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

All the parts are important!   But we don't always see that, so let's extend this metaphor a bit...  Let's say that I am an ear.  I'm kind of weird looking, not very large, often hidden by hair and hats.  So, I say to myself how I wish I could be more like the eyes, who are so pretty and expressive and get to wear certain make-up that makes them POP!  And I also wish I were like the hands because they get to touch everything and feel things that I will never get to feel.  Or the tongue...yes, he's kind of slimy and a little weird, but he gets to taste everything and be such an important part of speech.  Now THAT'S important.  But....imagine not being able to hear the beautiful music of symphonies and favorite bands, not being able to hear the birds chirp on a sunny, spring morning, and not being able to hear the giggles of babies and even the sorrowful wailing of your dear friend who's just lost his daughter.


Every single gift and task is important.  Without any one part, the body would be impaired!  So it is in the body of Christ.


²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

We are all connected, and we all matter.  Every single one of us.  Yet, by being part of a greater whole, the body, our significance is also kept from being blown out of proportion.  Yes, we are important, but we are not completely indispensable.  God will succeed in His plans with or without us!  We can still function without our hearing, can we not?  And having one enormous ear wouldn't be better, but would make us more into a monster!  Yes, we do need to stay in-check, don't we?

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Only when we can accept our "part" to be our part, can we flourish!  And let's not focus on the lesser gifts...like having voluminous hair and perfectly pouty lips.  Instead, let's focus on the greater gifts, the necessary things.  Is a good stomach not more important than good facial structure? :) 


And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Tomorrow, we will dive in to what's the Most Important of All....

1 Corinthians 12 (The Comparisson Game Part 1)

Moment of truth here: lately, I've been really struggling with comparing myself to others.  I've gotten very talented at it, too.  I can pick out the slightest flaw in myself and run wild with it; likewise,  I can also squeeze the tiniest imperfection in someone else and make myself feel like a queen because of it.  This is not a flattering quality, I know.  And I don't know quite when it crept it.  Wait, actually I do.  It began in early May, when I was "too busy" to have my morning quiet time with God. It's amazing how my perspective gets skewed so quickly.   And so, here I return...I'm sorry, Lord.  I have placed You on the back-burner for the last month.  But I know that it's when we wander away that we remember how much we need You, Lord.  So, here I am again.  I'm glad to be back with You.

One of the areas that I have been comparing myself is in the abilities or gifts God has given me.  I wonder why I can't be more like _____, who seems to be succeeding in everything she does for the Lord.  Then I see _____ and wonder why I can't have as many talents as he has.  And then there's the worst one of all:  I see _____ and think to myself I sure am glad that I am doing better than them.  How prideful.  How ugly.  How incredibly sad.  I need to stop comparing!  Comparing is pointless, because someone always comes out on the bottom.  And that's not where God has put any of us! 

Apparently, some of the people during Paul's time struggled with the same comparison problem when it came to spiritual gifts. 

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.   I'm sure they were all complaining about what they wish they could do for God that they saw their buddy getting to do, so Paul reminded them that there are many different kinds of working and doing...and they are all okay!  Differences are not always a negative thing.  Why is it that we always think we all need to be the SAME as everybody else?


⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  That's the point, right there.  When I can remember for one moment that it's NOT ALL ABOUT ME, then I remember that I'm part of a bigger plan than I can even understand.  Who knows why, but God has chosen me, and He's chosen you, to participate with Him as He carries out His plan for everyone's common good.  We are all one puzzle piece in the enormous masterpiece of humanity that God is working to put together as He has planned all along.


I like how The Message summarizes the next part:
"God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:
   wise counsel
   clear understanding
   simple trust
   healing the sick
   miraculous acts
   proclamation
   distinguishing between spirits
   tongues
   interpretation of tongues.
   All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when."

Did you see that last line?  God decides who gets what, and when they get it.  That's not to say that we can't ask for gifts -- after all, He is the ultimate gift-giver!  There is one item on that list that I have prayed for for the past two years, and recently, two friends of mine, at different times, told me that I have that gift!  They didn't know I'd been praying for it, and I couldn't see it in myself.  I will tell you that I do not have the gift of tongues though! :)  Maybe except for a tongue that never seems to know when to stop sometimes!

So, there we have it.  We have what God intends us to have for right now.  The questions is can I trust that what He has given me is good and perfect for me?  Can I thank Him for the gifts He has entrusted to me, and also thank Him for the gifts He has entrusted to others?  And finally, can choose to stop comparing what I have and what I wish I had and rest in the fact that God knows what He's doing in me right now?

Tomorrow, we'll look at the importance of ALL gifts.  But for now, I am just focusing on trusting Him and thanking Him for even getting to play a part in His big picture plan.  Not only did He save me, but He also blesses me with gifts...and He does the same for you.