Connecting yourself with the body of Christ

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. - Romans 12:4-5

A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. The letter read as follows:

“I've gone to church for 30 years now. In that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time, and the pastors are wasting their time.”

This started a real controversy in the Letters to the Editor column. It went on for weeks until someone wrote the following clincher:

“I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”

Quite often, people downplay the importance of church attendance simply because it doesn’t give them the “spiritual high” they’re looking for each and every week. But church doesn’t exist to make you feel good. It exists to glorify God!

Stay in church; learn and grow with other believers. While you might not remember everything, you can be sure that if you have a willing heart, you’re being transformed into Christ’s likeness!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you the resolve to remain connected with other believers when you’re tempted to do life alone.

Questions for Thought

Have there been times when you’ve had feelings of isolation? What brought those feelings on?

How can staying connected to other believers encourage you in your daily walk with Christ?