Consider the creation of God. Here we observe a divine order that is beautiful, flowing and peaceful in its function. Everything in creation functions producing after its own kind, never striving to be something it was not created for, or to be. Only man can fall into the trap of striving to be something other than God created him for. There is no peace in strife, no flowing function and order.
God wants to see the divine order of His creation flowing in Christ’s Body in the Church, where individuals confidently know who they are in Christ, being who they were created to be, and functioning in the gift He bestows on each one. In a healthy body every member has a purpose, co-existing, flowing smoothly together in its function. The hand does not despise the foot, the eye does not compare itself, or has jealousy towards the kidney. No indeed!……in a healthy body every member co-exists and serves other members to produce health and function together. So it should be in the Church.
So many in the Church seek after position and status. Jesus never demonstrated that. He knew who He was and what His divine commission on earth was. Every day He functioned in His calling, always operating in His Father’s will. Authority in God’s kingdom is function, not status. When we covet another man’s position we are in sin and will not fulfil our own divine destiny.
When we observe the duties of the priests in the Old Testament with the tabernacle and the sacrifices, someone still had to clean the ashes out after the burnt offerings. Do not despise the gift God has given you, whether it be a government official or a cleaner, we all have a part to fulfil in order for life to flow smoothly, and for us all to co-exist in our functions. It is vital for every member of Christ’s Body to be who they were created to be, and do, by His enabling power, what He created each one to do.
The apostle Paul addressed the problems in a disorderly Church where people were coveting others’ position, comparing themselves with others and commending themselves. 2 Corinthians 10: 12 onwards, scripture teaches: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. But we will not boast of things outside of our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God has distributed to us, a measure to reach even you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure…..not boasting of things outside of our measure……..he that glories, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but who the Lord commends”
Every individual needs to find, and know, their calling in the Body. Only in that place the Lord has chosen for us will we function in His equipping and enabling power by His Spirit. In this position we learn to live our lives to the glory of God, functioning in a healthy Body. We do not compete with other members, we complete each other. Don’t try to be something you are not. Our identity is in who we are in Christ Jesus, not in our position. We are all equal in Christ. Our lives in His kingdom are all about who He is, and not who, or what, I am. The only righteousness we all have is through our beloved Saviour’s sacrifice at Calvary. He gives us His beauty for the ashes of our lives, His oil of joy for our mourning, that we might be trees of His righteousness of HIS planting, that only God will be glorified, (See Isaiah 61:3). In this position we learn the truth of the scripture: “For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Let us lose our identity in Christ Jesus, confident in whom we are in Him…….the righteousness of God. May we be lost, and found, in Him, ever seeking to lift up the name of Jesus in our lives, bringing glory to the Father with a thankful heart.
Gratitude….affects my attitude…..producing altitude…. in Christ.
Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash
