Behold the Body of Christ

Saturday and the day after that evening of trick-or-treating. I gave my little pumpkin a happy face and named him 'Milton', but we still didn't have many customers last night. I didn't realize until I sat out front that I got left in a bit of an island. The couple next door passed away and their house remains vacant. The house across the street was the one that burned down last June, and several others close by did not turn on the ol' porch light. So I gave out a few treats, played no tricks, and spent some time petting Samantha between the times she ran away from the little costumed persons. With time to think, I did some to the danger of us all.

Behold the body of Christ: one has lost a house, but another is given a way to keep his. One suffers terribly from a disease of the body, but another enjoys good health through her long life. One loses all financially speaking, while another enjoys goodly income to the point of wealth throughout his life. One struggles with fears, while another suffers little in this regard. In this region of the globe, they deal with near starvation, the loss of loved ones to malnutrition, and constant searching for food. While in another part of the globe, relative abundance is the norm. A nation rises up and gives praise to God, while another must give praise through their tears of mourning. How can all of this be part and parcel of the one body of Christ?

We don't know.

God gives and withholds according to His wisdom. God also allows persons to sin and deny his fellow man the basic necessities of life as some dictators do at times. God allows governments to stumble and fumble, while others are brought to stand tall among the nations. A person is born with a weak body and believes in Christ, and yet another with the strength and skill of an athlete also loves God with all his heart. The body of Christ is made of rich and poor, talented and uncoordinated, sick and well, tall and short, weak and strong, famous and anonymous, powerful and unknown, and anyone else who wants to believe in Christ Jesus. I guess the only thing we can know in this is that Jesus turns away no sheep, no matter how well they wear their wool.

Praise God for the new day!
Bucky