You Are Needed

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though 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.  
1 Corinthians 12:12-15

The church I attend has many different prayer groups that meet in the middle of the week for fellowship and time to encourage and pray for each other, they are called "life groups".  Each Sunday morning a different life group is given the duty to set up the chairs in the sanctuary, bring out the tables for coffee, prepare the coffee and tea and so on.  It works nicely since most adults enjoy a hot beverage after the service while we all mingle around and talk before going home.

It was my life groups turn to do it last Sunday.  A few people showed up early and had most of the chairs almost set up.  The ladies were busy in the kitchen filling urns with water to boil for the drinks, measuring out milk, sugar and so on.  I was given the job of getting some tables out to put the cups on.  I feel a little closer to these people because we are working together to bless others that will come later.    The whole church has come to expect this to be done every week.  But what if this past Sunday my group just said we're not going do the set up?  We don't do as good of a job as last weeks group, or we just wanted to not bother to attend at all and just sleep in that Sunday morning?  We would have let the rest of the congregation down.  The after service social time would be shortened and there would be concern from them for us.   Some would be wondering what happened to us and maybe others even begin to think maybe they would take their next turn off as well.  Soon we wouldn't be having that time afterwards to talk and visit and that could begin to affect other areas of the church.  Areas like children's church, music ministries, or preaching.

The point Paul is making is that we need each other.  YOU are needed, wanted and depended on.  This whole illustration can be used in the whole of your life.  Apply it's principles to your family, friends, job.  The place you find yourself in is where God has placed you to be and therefore represent Him in those areas.  Later in the chapter Paul goes on to say that no one is greater or lesser, weaker or stronger than the others in the body.  But we are interdependent on each other.  Just because you are not the drummer in the band, or the preacher, does not mean you are not just as important as they.

Today make a decision to get fully involved with a group of believers.  Then find out where they need your expertise and get involved.  I promise you the effort is worth the long term benefits.

I'd love to hear from you how this post may have impacted on your life.

When The Storm Finally Comes...

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.  Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island.  The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.  As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.  When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together.  Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.  We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.  On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.  But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.  Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul.  You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.'  So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.  Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."  
Acts 27:13-26

Divorce has been the storm in my life.  The interesting thing is that I've had to go through it as a child watching helplessly as my parents divorced.  As a sibling while my only brother went through it and I was unable to convince them otherwise. Finally, I went through it myself and had to stand by as my ex-wife executed her freewill.

I've deliberately highlighted some words above that could easily be used in the storms of my life as well...

...they thought they obtained what they wanted...(divorce)
...before very long...(usually doesn't take long - whether they admit it or not)
...the ship was caught by the storm...(everyone was affected by the divorce, especially the children)
...hardly able to make a lifeboat secure...(trying to make deals to keep the marriage together)
...let the ship be driven along...(it takes on a life of it's own like a hurricane and wrecks havoc)
...a violent battering...(the divorce is relentless)
...throw the cargo overboard...(everything you worked for is lost)
...we finally gave up all hope of being saved...(the legal system is not a 'just' system)
...you should have taken my advice not to...(I even begged her not to go down this road)
...spared yourselves this damage and loss...(those who thought they got what they wanted are                         damaged and/or destroyed)
...ship will be destroyed...(marriage finally ended)
...an Angel of God...(finally a word of hope)
...do not be afraid...(the first thing Jesus says to those in a storm Mk5:36, Jn14:27, Rev1:17)
...keep up your courage...(there is a tomorrow)
...I have faith in God...(God can make something out of nothing)

Your life story is different than mine, maybe worse, maybe not as dramatic, but real and painful nonetheless.

It may be from a choice you made when you were younger, or maybe (like me) someone else made it and you couldn't persuade them to change their mind, so everyone suffers.

God is always there.  He is timeless and all powerful.  Yet even His will at times is not considered, and He has to let freewill have it's way in humanity or humans are reduced to something less than what we were created to be.

Paul urged the centurion and the sailors not to sail, yet they choose to regardless.  Paul was a prisoner and could not get off the ship, so he had to endure what the others choices were.  Paul never gave up, he obviously kept praying and seeking God otherwise he may have not seen the angel of the Lord and not gotten the words of encouragement.

We also may not be able to "get off this ride" but we can also choose not give up.  We can keep praying and seeking God.  You never know when God is going to break through into the storm of your life and tell you when it's over.

I recall some words of a song "the ship is battered, the sails are torn, yet the anchor holds..."

Let Jesus Christ be your anchor, let Him be your safe harbor or anchor and hold you during those times of trouble, through the storms of life.