Fulfilling Our Purpose in the Body of Christ ||| Guest Post from Tessa Emily Hall
8:27 AM
Imagine you’re carrying out your daily tasks when suddenly your leg stops moving forward and says, “I’m done working for you. I think it’s time I broke away and worked for myself instead!” Now that might be a little tough to imagine. Your leg wouldn’t get very far on its own, would it? That’s because our body parts are attached and connected to our head, the source. Each part works together to obey the commands that are delivered from our head.
As obvious as that sounds, it’s not as easy to remember this concept when it’s applied to the Body of Christ. Jesus is no longer on the earth in the flesh, so He gave the Body of Christ, the church, a mission to carry out His purpose, to serve as His hands and feet. Jesus told us that our mission is this:
“‘And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
- Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)
We were called to glorify Him, to serve others, and to spread the gospel throughout the world, to the very ends of the earth. It’s only when we carry out our specific role in His Kingdom that we take part in fulfilling His perfect plan—not only in our individual lives, but in the world as a whole as well.
1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT) says,
“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.”
Sure, it might be silly to imagine a leg separating itself from the rest of the body, attempting to work on its own—but I can imagine we often look similar when we, too, try to produce works and gain accomplishments without staying connected to the rest of the Body! That’s because when we’re connected to the Head, which is Christ, life flows into us. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Colossians 1:8 (NCV) says,
“He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place.”
Let’s not be self-seekers when it comes to pursuing our gifts and talents. Let’s instead stay focused on serving others through our roles , because when we do that, we’re actually serving God (Matt. 25:40).
We’re in this together. And the gifts and talents we’ve been given play a purpose in carrying out God’s message. Therefore, we each need to individually focus on fulfilling our own role in the body of Christ in order for it to further God’s plan of salvation throughout the earth.
You may be asking—aren’t I too young to have the responsibility of contributing to the Body of Christ? The truth is, we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. Every Christian who is on this earth, despite their age, has a role to play in fulfilling the Body’s mission. So no, you’re never too young to carry out God’s plan for this earth!
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT) says,
“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
The decision is ours: Will we allow the Body to become weak and crippled? Or will we rise up as a bold Body of believers, determined to carry out the gospel through teaching, leading, encouraging, praying, etc.?
We weren’t called to walk; we weren’t called to stumble. We were called to sprint. Our time on earth is short. The only works that will last are the works accomplished through the Body of Christ. Living out God’s mission, the Greatest Commandment, is the only way we will attain the true, lasting fulfillment we long for.
So let’s use these talents we’ve been gifted with to love. To lead people to Christ. To give glory to God. To introduce Light to a dark and hurting world. Let’s further the Kingdom as we fulfill our purpose to advance the Body of Christ.One step at a time.
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Each of the 180 challenging and motivational devotions will leave you feeling refreshed and reinvigorated--almost as though you've shared a steaming pot of brew at a coffee shop with your Creator.
1 of your thoughts
Woah I love this post. Everyone has its purpose in this world and I'm happy you found yours. God bless!
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