Monday Morning Encouragement -- Body Building

 


"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15-16


It is a mystery how Christians together function as Christ's body. It is supernatural. He spiritually indwells each Christian, and when those individuals join together, the result is the body of Christ. 


Without proper nourishment, the human body will remain immature. As with the physical body, so it is with the spiritual body. It must be nourished in order to mature.


Spiritual nourishment comes from the word of God. His truth is necessary to grow from Christian infancy into mature adulthood. And it is the responsibility of each believer to grow in faith so that we may then assist our younger Christian brothers and sisters to grow toward spiritual maturity. This is what we refer to as discipleship.


Often we view discipleship as something organized and planned. A more mature Christian may regularly meet with a new Christian and begin the process of helping them to grow in their faith. Of course, this is extremely important, and not to be diminished. 


However, I believe there is much more to discipleship than that; this form of discipleship is less formal, and just as important.  When we see a brother or sister in Christ struggling  -- no matter their biological age or spiritual age -- we are called to come along side of them and encourage them.  We encourage them with the truth of God's word, and always this must be accompanied by love. Truth without love can be judgmental, and weakens the body. But love for one another, with a sincere desire to see each other grow in truth, builds up the body and roots it to the head, which is Christ.


Today's music video How Beautiful  by Twila Paris is not a new song, and may be very familiar to you. It so perfectly reflects the beauty of Christ's own body, and His body the Church.





I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.




22 comments

  1. Happy May! Beautiful tulips and thoughts today.

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    1. Happy May to you, Mari! I hope you're having a good week! ♥

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  2. This is a topic we covered in the small group I'm in at church, just yesterday. As one who was not discipled, I had no clue what to do with my new decision for Jesus. My parents took us to church, and I loved youth group, except it was basically a social club. There were some kids who had a more mature faith, but I wasn't one of them and didn't want anyone to know. It took decades for me to rededicate my life to Jesus and begin a whole new walk. The difference is dramatic. But I realize, from personal experience, discipleship is tremendously important. We can't just leave new or struggling Christians to figure it out alone. What a responsibility we have!!

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    1. Karen, I absolutely agree with you. 100%! I was not discipled as a new Christian, and I fell away for a number of years. Like the seed sown on poor soil. . .the weeds and thorns grew up and choked it. So it was with my faith. When I did surrender fully to the Lord, everything changed. So, yes. "We can't just leave new or struggling Christians to figure it out alone." Thank you, my friend, for sharing your thoughts.

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  3. What a blessing this post was to me and then to end it with How Beautiful is the Body of Christ. Praise God for the gift of Salvation to me!

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    1. Yes, God be praised! I'm glad this post was a blessing to you.

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  4. Such a powerful devotion you've shared Nancy. The enemy wants to steal from the church, the power that comes from gathering together to "body build" as you've shared. The church needs the fellowship of each other! Thank you for sharing this timely and powerful teaching! May your week be blessed!

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    1. Thank you, Marilyn. And may your week be blessed, as well! Yes, we need fellowship. ♥

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  5. You are so right that we all sometimes need the encouragement of others, and we should be aware of when and how to come along beside others.

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    1. Agree. Sometimes the "how" is the challenge. When to speak. When to just listen and pray. Always, though, we engage. God bless you!

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  6. Very beautiful song. I always believe God puts the right person or persons in our path when we need them most. That is the beautiful part of being a good christian to share our love of God to others. Happy New Week. Hugs. Kris

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    1. Yes, I agree that God does put the right people in our path when we need them. It's happened to me many times. Enjoy these spring days. Hugs.

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  7. Nancy, Thank you for always posting such positive blogs. I look forward to reading them and I also enjoy your Y.T. channel. I hope you have a wonderful week.

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    1. Thank you so much, Darlene. I appreciate your visits and comment so much. God bless you, my friend!♥

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  8. Thank you for this encouraging message today. I have been very unsettled lately and now have realized this weekend that we're moving yet again. We made an offer on a condo and it's been accepted. It will put us within blocks of Mom's nursing facility and is also a place we can grow old with an elevator and the condo all on one level.
    It's 50 blocks closer to church too! All will be well, with God's grace and love.
    Blessings and hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. Wow, Betsy! You really are moving again? Well, God has a new plan for you, doesn't He? Being closer to your Mom and your church are both good things. I wish I was there to help you! You're in my prayers. xo

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  9. Aw, I used to listen to Twila Paris a lot. I hadn't thought of her or her music in a very long time. Thank you for this reminder! May God bless you, sweet friend.

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    1. My pleasure, Cheryl. God bless you, as well!♥

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  10. A great reminder that we need each other to speak into our lives as we walk with Christ. This was a beautiful post.
    ~Adrienne~

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    1. Yes, we need to encourage one another. God bless you, Adrienne.

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  11. Beautiful Tulips and great greeting from you. Pray your month of May is full of exceptional surprises and blessings.💜
    Phyllis Anderson from Texas

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Your comments bring me joy! Thanks for stopping by.