9-3-20  THOUGHTS

1Cor 12:12-27 Paul explains the oneness intent of the spiritual gifts of that time.  He uses the Church as an illustration.  The same thing happens in Ephesians 5:21-33 where Paul explains the Church’s subjection to Christ by talking about a marriage.  Lastly in Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul describes the Church as it is to function.  It’s to grow together in love and in knowledge of God. Maturity is the aim.  The unity of faith supplied by ‘every individual part doing as it should’ is the picture. The body here described edifies itself in love. When one reads these passages, it becomes obvious that there is room for improvement in our current Church environment.  This is all from God!

My Oregon daughter Erin provided me with a marvelous picture yesterday that seems to fit right here...
“Good morning, Dad! I’ve been out tending to the garden and harvesting tomatoes again...   I planted the tomatoes too close together simply because I was ambitious. But I’ve noticed a beautiful thing because of it. As I come to prune extraneous leaves, I notice that the plants have intertwined with their neighbors- all tomatoes, but all different varieties. I have yellow slicers next to romas next to sungold cherry tomatoes. And the curious thing is that they seem to have forgotten that they are not of the same root plant. The leaves of one are supporting the fruit of their neighbor. I have clipped leaves of one only to discover that I have to sling her neighbor’s fruit because she was literally holding them up by circling her leaves around them.   And it almost has me in tears, thinking of the simple community my garden has created in our backyard while the world around us is so very broken.”  ❤    [emphasis mine]
 
Please read God’s Word with your whole might.  You need it so desperately.  Learn to love it as your necessary food!  Go out into life and find your own illustrations of God’s truth.  They are everywhere if we will just see!  

Ps 19:1  The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Go hear what they have to say...

My Prayer:
Oh God help us to see you in your creation as our lives unfold.  May we see your awesome wisdom and might in your creation.  Remind us of your presence as we walk and as we breathe.  Comfort us in knowing that you are there, always.  Thank you dear God for your awesome order,  set as you created this world we live in.  Forgive our disorder and keep us from breaking the beautiful.          
In the precious name of Jesus           Amen