Thursday, June 12, 2014

23 The Body



This is going to be long and passionate....talking about THE body of Christ, or the BODY of Christ.


Christ gave His body to be crucified for us....that is THE body of Christ.
We, the church are the BODY of Christ.  Just wanted to make myself clear.  I am going to be talking about 'us', the Body of Christ....the who, what, where, when, why...We are so self serving, and self absorbed that we forget who we are.

We are a part, not the whole.  Remember when He said we are not all fingers, or not all eyes…etc ?  We are all made up of different parts of the body, and one part is not better or less, than another part.  We all have to work together to make the Body a complete synchronized, smooth, symphony.  (How's that?)  smile

When one little part of the body hurts, even if it is just an ingrown toenail...the body hurts, limps and cannot run the race as well as if it isn't hurting.  

So what do we do?  

First we try to take matters into our own hands, and fix the problem. Does it work?  At times, superficially, but most times it needs the attention of a Physician.  Get the picture??  Christ lays it all out in the scripture how the body has to operate as a body, not as many parts.

Now it gets sticky....Matt 25:35 thru end of chapter...tells it like this: Jesus, in the end will judge all our actions or lack of...

”Come on in…'for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was in prison and you visited me.  Then they will say when Lord did we do this for you??  And the King will say...inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto me.'


Now this works in reverse too, when you didn't do it, you didn't 'do it unto me' (Him)

This is good, and we think we understand this...however...I just went thru 2 weeks of hell on earth with you Greg, as you were evicted from your apartment, becoming homeless, put in the hospital, (which was the 'Pit' itself) calling every phone number that was given to us for help in finding  an agency, a person--anyone who could give us a clue as to how to help you get into a position where you could do for yourself...without a car, a drivers license....Oh Boy!!!

No help there, just another phone number to call and hear that we had the wrong agency.

I remember feeling that this was probably the darkest day of my life......even darker than the day Andy died.   
I think it was because when Andy died, we had Sug and Bill, the folks, the church, the community and all our friends and family to surround us and walk with us thru this dark time.


I felt like the Lone Ranger up there in Washington....no one to call, no one who cared....Just Andy (#2) Zach, Greg and me.  Now I know your church body cares Greg, and they would be hurt to think that I felt so alone.  Your Pastor takes you to dialysis  2 times a week....and I applaud him for that, I am not condemning anyone, he can't do everything and all...for his body of believers...but the body is not being taught how to be  'the body'.

Here they have a "big toe" that is on the verge of gangrene, and no one can do anything about your situation, but they can come and give you a hug, take you to the Great Physician...need a ride? Need a hug?  Share a scripture?  Let me help you put your "toe" up and rest a little?   We can't fix the problem, God alone can do that!!!!!  But we can give that part of the body a little T.L.C. as God works on us, in us, and thru us.


I know I have very carefully examined my life since then, and wonder just how much or how many times I have missed an opportunity to minister to, care for, or just hold up someone’s hands, when that person is so deep in despair that they cannot possibly hold up their own hands, or maybe even pray for themselves.  (And just for the record, before we begin judging and casting blame on anyone, I don't see any place where it says, if they have made bad choices, or haven't lived the way we think they should...then we don't have to care or do for them.)  We have ALL made bad choices, or just plain gone off the narrow path, but if your eye looks at the wrong thing, do you pluck it out?   Of course not....you say there but for the Grace of God go I.  

O.K. Greg, let us learn from this experience, because not only is God working in and on our lives, we need to apply it and use it to be the 'best toe' or the 'best liver' ever...in the Body, so that we may make the rest of this Body function in a synchronized, smooth, symphony  for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   (I would have said the best kidney, but that is ludicrous...yours is dead, and the Lord has to deal with that....smile).

Come on Greg, let us be the best that we can be...even if we are in pain ourselves, we can be useful, in our pain.

 Hang in...hang on... hold tightly to His hand.....Look up, for He is coming soon.

We'll meet you here, there, or in the air, and that's the truth!!  smile

Love,
Nanny/ Marker/Aunt Swede/ or whatever else you want to call me...just call me! Cray?

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