Their fellowship reminds me of these verses from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be 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 cease to be 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 arranged 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.
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!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 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, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
How are you doing with being a part of God's body?
I just read the message that you sent via the ACFW loop and I have to say that I agree whole-heartedly with everything that you had to say.
ReplyDeleteIt has only been about two weeks since I joined ACFW and am already experiencing a sense of family and support that is rare amongst any group of people. I too am struggling with the decision about whether or not to go to the conference. I don't feel that I am far enough along with my work to be able to benefit from much of what is available but realize that there would be great gain also. For me, it seems like a God-given opportunity since I live only about an hour and a half from Indianapolis.
I also understand the physical aspect of your decision - I have been the prescription orthotic route and don't want to sound discouraging but they did little for my condition. Now I am forced to live on extremely strong narcotics just to remain mobile to some degree and that has had a debilitating impact on my ability to do many things. Somehow, through it all, I see God's hand at work and trust that He has the answers and will reveal all in His time.
What a blessing to see the body of Christ at work! Thanks for sharing Jan Marie!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Jodie