“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.”1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT)
God never meant for you to go through life on your own. He wants you to be part of his family—the church. In fact, the church has been God’s plan from the very beginning.
Some people think of the church as a building, an institution, or an event you attend. The church isn’t any of those things. It's a family you belong to.
The Living Bible paraphrase says, “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!” (Ephesians 1:5).
When you’re part of the church, two things are true of you: You’re committed to Jesus, and you’re committed to the people in your church family. The Bible says in 2 Corinthian 8:5, “First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well” (GNT).
You give yourself to the Lord, and then you give yourself to a group of people in God’s family. The first choice makes you a Christian. The second choice connects you with other believers. I’m not the church. You’re not the church. But together, we are the church—the body of Christ.
What does it mean to be part of the body of Christ? The Bible says,“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12 NLT).
To understand how the church operates, look at the way God designed your body. Your hand, nose, spleen, and liver are all parts of your body. They all have separate functions, but together they make up one physical body—just like God’s church makes up one spiritual body.
That’s why you are such a necessary part of your church family. You can’t say, “My part—my talents and abilities—isn’t needed.” There are no unnecessary parts. We are all dependent on each other, and each of us has a different role to play.
God’s intentionfrom the very beginning of time is that we live our lives together in his family.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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