Unite the Body

And sadly, so much of the world has attached so much biased to the word Christian, that the entire MESSAGE of the LIFESTYLE and the FAITH of it has been lost. We've got the resources to bring people together now more than we ever have before, to unite the Body of Christ and purify what we stand for - to make our INDIVIDUAL lives a living testimony to God - but we are so busy arguing among ourselves the rest of the world rolls this eyes and says "Yea, that's one hypocritical mess I'm staying out of" when we should simply shush up, look up, listen up, and move up to what HE said, not what we think! Yes, I will never apologize for Jesus, but it kills me that so many have contorted His Image through their own 'Interpretations' - to the point that Christian is nothing more than a label.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 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. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 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. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

A Change in the Itinerary

Only 2 days ago I was sure I was about to be in DC to support the people of Israel. I was in the airport at 8 am - awaiting my 9:30 flight. I'd been packed for 2 weeks, and had been waiting for almost 6 months for that day. Then the plane was delayed till noon, and so I went home only to return, say my goodbyes, board the plane, and await take off. Not 5 minutes later, the plane literally shut completely down due to a rear engine failure. Assured it would be fixed soon, we de-boarded and went back into the terminal.

2 hours later, it is 4 pm and we - an entire roomful of people who have been waiting all day, some since 6 am, to leave are still stranded. The plane mechanic hadn't even showed up. Delta attempted to arrange for a new plane, to find there was none. (How? I have no idea... How one of the largest commercial flyers can't get a plane from north Ga. to Atlanta is beyond me.) It was then 4:30 pm and I was overcome with distress.

I should have been in DC by 2. I should have been in my hotel room getting ready for the first meeting. I should have been meeting up with all the kids I met on fb in the lobby. I should have been talking with the young man who flew all the way from Thailand to attend. So why wasn't I? Why was I - who had received a scholarship to go to the would-be biggest event of my life - not there? Delayed planes, broken planes, no planes, they all played a part - but believe me when I say if it could have gone wrong, it did. So there I was. Grounded in the most simple of terms. There was no physical way for me to make it to DC (unless I was to take then "Let's put all 70 of you on a greyhound bus for 4-5 hours just to get to Atlanta" option.)

It was painful to admit, and even more disappointing, to think that perhaps God didn't want me there. He had pretty much done everything possible to make sure I didn't even get out of the terminal. All signs up until that point were a go. Everything had come together perfectly, but at the very last moment, the walls caved in (and a jet engine randomly broke down...)

I would have to be blind to not see it. With my parents council and my own choice (a bitter, if resentful one at the time) I made the choice that had literally already been made for me. I was not going to DC.

Now I'm sure there is a message here - perhaps God has revealed to you yours, but right now, I'm still dealing with the thought that I'm not there, even if I am where He so obviously wants me to be. (Which happens to be helping my family move. How we are managing to do it using only a minivan and a F-150 truck is a miracle in itself.)

All in all, I am happy to know His Angels are watching out for things I don't see, and are going to great lengths to keep me from where I wanted - but do not need - to go.

Angels

We are never alone....

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" Psalm 91:11

“Rejoice with him, you heavens, and let all of God’s angels worship him. Rejoice with his people, you nations,and let all the angels be strengthened in him. For he will avenge the blood of his servants;he will take revenge against his enemies. He will repay those who hate him and cleanse the land for his people.” Deuteronomy 32:43 

“You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6 

"The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will  gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness" Matthew 13:41 

"So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous" Matthew 13:49 

"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31 

"Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God" Luke 12:8 

"And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:51 

"I , John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me." But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Revelation 22:8-9 

"I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke." Isaiah 6:1-4 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13-14

 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Matthew 4:11

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. Matthew 28:2

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:38 

 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Psalms 148:1-2

Chain Reactions

For every action, there is a reaction. Now, we can't always control the situations we find ourselves in, but we do control how we react. We have the power to change the outcome of an event by simply answering it in a tone no one would expect us to use, or by taking a road no one else would have thought to take. Have you been wronged recently? Maybe it was something very painful - maybe it was as simple as your dog keeping you up all night - but SOMETHING happened today that you had to react to. So my question is...

How did you react? Did you mimic the attitude of the action - did you go through your day bitter, upset or miffed - or did you realize there are much bigger things to occupy your time with and move on? Did you know that even your reactions can cause reactions? It might sound silly, but it is true. How you go about your day has a direct effect on those around you. If you wake up and make a point to be in a good mood, your family will sense your joy and begin to mimic it. If you walk into work with a simple 'Good morning!' and a smile, your co-workers might just get out of their 'funk'.

You have the power to create a whole new chain of reactions - based on your reactions! Take hold of it - use it!