Daily Devotional for Monday 23rd September
Growing Together in Truth and Love
Aren’t our bodies just wonderful?! As I read through our passage for today, I am picturing the way a child grows up and becomes an adult. I think of my own children and how they are all taller than me now! It’s a miracle how the body develops over time, joined and held together by supporting ligaments growing and building itself up as each part does its work. Everything seems to work together in perfect harmony.
However, we know that the reality is that sadly sometimes our bodies don’t always work the way we would like them too! Things go wrong, we get sick, we hurt ourselves and we lose that perfect harmony. It can feel like we are getting tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by the wind.
In our reading today, Paul is using our bodies to describe our spiritual life. When we are young in our faith, like infants, it’s easier to be blown off course by the latest teaching on how we should be living our lives, strategies that claim the path to true happiness if only you follow their step-by-step guide. Without discernment and understanding we are vulnerable to being misled by every new idea or doctrine that comes our way. But God’s desire for us is to be grounded and steadfast, with our feet firmly planted on solid ground. He wants us to grow up in our faith, to be anchored in the truth of who Jesus is and what He has taught us.
Paul tells us that the way to keep on the right course is to speak the truth in love, with Jesus as our guide, acting like the head of a body. Paul calls us to grow to be more like Christ, both as individuals and with others as we form the body of Christ. We are to build each other up, encouraging each other and lovingly guiding each other towards the truth. Put together, truth and love become the most powerful tools for growth.
When we’re each doing our bit, the body is able to grow in unity and love. In the same way that the body is supported by over 900 different ligaments, we each have a different role to play, and when we fulfil that purpose, we help the body as a whole to grow and thrive.
Time to reflect…
Are there areas in your spiritual life where you feel like an ‘infant’, easily swayed by circumstances or teachings?
How can you better ‘speak the truth in love’ to those around you?
Take a moment to think about your role in the body of Christ. How can you contribute to the growth and unity of our church here in Walmley?
Pause to pray…
Father, thank You for calling us to grow in spiritual maturity. Help us to no longer be like infants, easily tossed by the waves, but to stand firm in the truth of Your Word. Teach us to speak the truth in love, building up those around us. Show us our place in the body of Christ, and help us to work together in unity and love. May we grow in every way into Christ, our Head, so that the whole body may be built up in love. Amen.
