Devotionals

A thankful member of his body

by Susan Barnes 
02/20/21
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“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

We’re called to live in peace and to be thankful. We have peace within ourselves when we aren’t comparing ourselves or striving to be something we’re not. We’re thankful when we recognise we are part of the body of Christ. Paul writes, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

The devil doesn’t want Christ’s body to grow and be full of love so he tries to keep us on a treadmill of activity, trying to earn our value through what we do or telling us our contribution isn’t important. The devil will tell us we’re different from other people. That others are more gifted and valuable to God or we’ve missed our opportunities or that it’s too late to change. But these are all lies.

Alternatively, we don’t allow our giftedness to create arrogance. Our contribution isn’t more important or more necessary than someone’s else’s.  We find our worth and value by being part of Christ’s body. We aren’t called to fulfil every role, but rather the one God has for us. Regardless of our age, appearance, intelligence or wealth. He has a plan and purpose for our lives.

God doesn’t use the world’s standards for deciding how valuable a person is. We’re all precious to him so we focus on being part of his body and we become thankful.