The Body of Christ

I am so thankful that the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us, unite us and dwell within us. I am glad that He is our paraclete: one who consoles, one who intercedes on our behalf, a comforter or an advocate. It can't get much better than that! I don't have to go to a sacred building, mountain, city or guru - I have access through the blood of Christ to the living God of the universe!

The only way for it to be better is for me to actually go to Him. Praise the Lord, He is living in me! But if I don't maintain relationship with Him it doesn't do a whole lot for me.

I also need to be in relationship with other believers - the body of Christ. This is an amazing gift that we have. Just like our own bodies work to function and keep themselves healthy, the body of Christ takes care of itself. In the same way, if one part of my body doesn't work because it's sick or injured, that affects the rest of my body. Similarly, when we are out of relationship or living in habitual sin we, as 'ill' members of the body affect other believers.

Praise the Lord that our God is the Great Physician. One of God's name is Jehovah-rapha: the God who heals (taken from Exodus 15:22-26). Sure, He heals physical problems, although His ultimate goal is spiritual wellness. As I trust in God to move and change me, He will also heal me. He has already healed me from so much! He has healed me from much anger and bitterness. He has taught me to trust. I now trust Him to heal me from the desires of gluttony and self-focus.

I am so thankful whenever I get to see the body of Christ at work. I have an amazing community group at my church. When there is a need it gets taken care of. I'm enjoying so much the blog posts of the TW study ladies. Who would have guessed 50 years ago that the Spirit would unite the body via the Internet?!

Thank You, Lord, for Your living and active Spirit within me, within us! What a blessing! May I never take it for granted (although I'm sure I can't fathom it's awesomeness)!

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

This weekend I'm leaving on vacation for a couple of weeks. I'll be staying with my sister in Boston for part of the time. If I get a chance I'll blog. Or, maybe I'll just journal and post my thoughts later. The other part of our trip is a cruise to Bermuda (whoo-hoo vacation!). Maybe I'll post some pictures after we return!

And, I'll report on eating 0-5 on a cruise :) Actually, a couple of years ago for my mom's 60th birthday we took a looong cruise through the Panama Canal and I did NOT gain weight. So, here's hoping for the best!