Give It Up for Christ

Why shouldn’t I have more praise heaped on me for the things that I have done and the wins that I have experienced? After all, I am the one that did them all, correct?

“²⁶And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’ ²⁷John answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.’” – John 3:26-27 (ESV)

“³⁵The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” – John 3:35 (ESV)

“²⁸You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’” – John 3:28 (ESV)

See that John the Baptist was indeed doing great things in the spreading of the gospel and in fact was baptizing people at a fever pace and was doing so before Jesus began. It would have bee natural for him to want the praise for doing those things and being the first to do so and especially with the success he was having.

But, look at the above exchange between John and his disciples. John was quick to let them know in reminder that he was only there to usher in Jesus as the Messiah. John was not in it for the notoriety, he was here to give it up for Christ. In relay races, the one who is remembered is the one who finishes the race. The lead leg is rarely remembered although they are very important. John was here to start the race, or be the lead leg and then he turned things over to God to finish the race. God in this case was Jesus and He was in this world to be remembered.

It is not my role to garner the recognition for the work being done. It is my role to give it up for Christ and His wisdom and actions to bring it home. I have to be the one who starts the race in my world and then I am to hand the baton to Christ to finish the race and bring home the victory.

What is your role in the race? Are you looking to be recognized for the work you are doing for Christ? What if you took the role as the lead leg in the race and then took to give it up for Christ to finish the race?

One Bread for One Body

“²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (ESV)

In the above I have written as relates to the taking of the Lord’s Supper. I have only referenced the taking of the bread (as I am studying the word “bread”), although the taking of the cup also applies here. Notice that the bread starts as one part and is broken into being parts of the whole. I have to remember that the bread of Christ is one just as we the body of Christ are one.

“¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV)

I believe that it is easy to forget that we are one body of Christ and that we are all working to the same goal of spreading the gospel for the LORD and bringing glory to Him. We are one in doing so. We may be only single parts carrying out the work of Christ, yet we are working toward the same.

It is my responsibility to work with, not against my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have to help them to carry out the will of God and pick them up when they are weak and celebrate them when they are strong. I have to be a part of the whole and come together as one in the fight against the evil one.

We are one in Christ!!!

What is your view of those around you? Are you separate from others and going it alone? What if we progressed as we should as one body of Christ in our work toward fulfilling His will in this world and the next?

Prayer of Faith

One has to mean it. I remember growing up and doing something that was not exactly nice to my brother and sister (I am sure most of us have been there). And then, after being ratted out to the parents, I was “forced” to give the obligatory apology, the “sorry”, under the breath and includes the roll of the eyes just to satisfy the parents. Everyone knew it was not sincere, yet it satisfied in the moment. Prayer, can be similar to that apology.

This morning I was brought to the passage in James titled “The Prayer of Faith”. After reading the passage, I was reminded of the sincerity that is to accompany our prayer. I even have some notes in my bible from earlier study that identifies the depth to which we are to pray.

“¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” – James 5:15 (ESV)

This verse brings home the power of prayer. But not just any prayer, the prayer of faith. When praying, I have to remember that I have to have faith in God to answer those prayers. I have to know and approach God with the knowledge that His will be done in all that we ask for and seek from Him. And that is where my prayer has to be the right prayer and something that I recently explained to someone asking for me to pray for their situation. I have to pray for the will of God and not just for Him to give me the answers I may be looking for. I have to understand that my “want” is of less importance than God’s Will.

“Pray for God’s will with Faith. Remember to pray deeply, not just on the surface. Not our request for action we want, but action for and about God’s Will.” This is the note I have in the margin of my bible in this passage. This is the message of the prayer of faith. It is not about me and what I want. It is about God and His will be done. I have to pray deeply, with the faith that His will be done. He will answer our prayer as He says He will. By praying deeply and for His will to be done, I am prepared for the result of His actions and not looking for the outcome I want.

What kind of prayer are you lifting up to God? Are you going through the motions and giving your obligatory prayer to Him for your wants? What if you were to pray with faith, deeply, and pray for His will to be done?