A Daily Devotion for Friday, September 25
1Corinthians 12:12-20
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 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. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
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. 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. 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? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1Peter4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Today I am thinking about love, and how important it is to God that we love one another. We need to gather both for worship and for fellowship. It is sometimes those experiences together outside of church which can deepen our love for one another. Last night was a perfect example for me. Kenda had a small gathering at her home. We knew each other, but it had never been the four of us together. We were faced with a creative challenge, new to us. A handful of women, together to try something new, left refreshed and energized, and for me, closer to God. In this season of my life, I am experiencing God’s love in a powerful new way.
Holy Lord, I am deeply thankful for your many blessings, which become clear to me in new and beautiful ways, each day. Amen
Becky, transforming
1Corinthians 12:12-20/1 Peter 4:8
Paul’s famous description of the Church as a body remains perfect. It is embodied by our own group: Jen, our pastor, Roz, the story-teller and songstress, Bev, our ambassador for Christ in the byways of life, Katie, our gifted creator of personal cards and newly-minted Sunday school teacher and Becky, our musician and lay-leader. I have my place as well. All combine, along with our respective congregations to be the body of Christ for the transformation of the world. This sounds like a tall order, but Peter assures us our properly directed love covers a multitude of sins. If we do our part and others do theirs, renewal of the Chirch is made possible, despite the…