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Wednesday, April 11, 2018
As the weather gets warmer there are more and more open carts such as this one we saw in Lebanon County yesterday morning.
"The Blessing Of Working Together"
Message summary: The Body of Christ truly works as the church "grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work". Let us do our part today in advancing the cause of Christ in the various ways we serve and realize this is best done in a generous spirit of cooperation. We encourage you today to faithfully serve in the manner God has led you; in your local church, your neighborhood, your community, your family and in other areas of service for the Lord. Let us seek to demonstrate the power of cooperation.
Listen
to our
message on your
audio player."From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:16).
Yesterday
we visited the employees of JK Mechanical, a local company which
provides various home and commercial service such as HVAC, solar,
electrical and plumbing. Each year they close normal operations and all
join together in serving the community in an community service day.
Yesterday the nearly 100 member work force worked together in serving Black Rock Retreat,
a Lancaster County Christian camp. Some used their trade skills in various
projects but many did manual work such as spreading mulch, planting and
splitting firewood.It was a blessing to observe the employees working together and amazing to see how much can be accomplished in the course of a single day. Peter Fiorello, the camp director, had the opportunity to thank the company for their service and explain the many ways the camp is impacting lives.
Working together is essential for life to work. Our body parts cooperate with one another to accomplish their roles in making us a healthy being. A failure to cooperate presents a sign of illness or worse.
Tradesmen
cooperate together in building our homes and this is essential for the
whole to work properly. The other day I was visiting with Casey, the
plumbing manager at JK, and he showed me the meme to the right which
humorously illustrates the consequences of not working together!A common representation of the Church is the image of the Body. Today's text draws a powerful analogy from the human body and speaks of how, "From Him [Christ] the whole body [Church], joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
The following illustration took place in a children's Sunday School class and speaks volumes regarding our need to be on the look-out for those who have a need and the importance of working together:
Davey, a new boy
showed up just as the class started. Because he had just one arm, the
teacher was a bit nervous, concerned that one of the other children
would comment on his handicap and embarrass him. But since there was no
opportunity to caution them, she proceeded.
She began to relax as Davey fit in very well. Then, when it was about time for the class to end, she asked the students to stand and join her in making the church. Showing them how to put the fingers of their two hands together, she said, "Let’s make a church. Here’s the church and here’s the steeple. Open the door and see all the people."
As she saw Davey holding his one hand in the air, the awful truth of her actions struck her. The very thing she had feared the children would do, embarrass Davey, she had just done. She stood speechless, embarrassed by her own unintended insensitivity.
But before she could do anything, Sarah, the little girl next to Davey, put her right hand into his left hand and said, "Davey, let’s make the church together."
She began to relax as Davey fit in very well. Then, when it was about time for the class to end, she asked the students to stand and join her in making the church. Showing them how to put the fingers of their two hands together, she said, "Let’s make a church. Here’s the church and here’s the steeple. Open the door and see all the people."
As she saw Davey holding his one hand in the air, the awful truth of her actions struck her. The very thing she had feared the children would do, embarrass Davey, she had just done. She stood speechless, embarrassed by her own unintended insensitivity.
But before she could do anything, Sarah, the little girl next to Davey, put her right hand into his left hand and said, "Davey, let’s make the church together."
What a tremendous illustration of the Body of Christ at work in cooperation!
Today we merely focus on the final phrase in our second daily text, "as each part does its work".
The Body of Christ truly works as the church "grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work". Let us do our part today in advancing the cause of Christ in the various ways we serve and realize this is best done in a generous spirit of cooperation. We encourage you today to faithfully serve in whatever manner God has led you; in your local church, your neighborhood, your community, your family and in other areas of service for the Lord. Let us experience the blessing of working together and demonstrate the power of cooperation.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, we pray for a spirit of cooperation and
eagerness to contribute to the needs of the whole body, so that Your
Church is built not just with sweat, bricks, and mortar but with love,
care, and teamwork. Therefore we seek to work together in cooperation, unity and
purpose as we do our part in building each other up in the various
natural giftings and learned skills You have given us as we strive for
unity in the faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God. We also want
to be on the look-out for opportunities to reach out to those who are
not of the household of faith. Through our loving and generous
endeavors toward their needs we have more opportunity to share the
gospel of Christ with them, helping them not just here and now but
reaching them for all eternity. Amen.
At JK Mechanical Casey, the plumbing manager, and Mike, the electrical manager, get along and work together well!
These crews were splitting logs for fireplaces and campfires.
After lunch some of the group took a tour of Black Rock Retreat.
Our first stop early yesterday morning was in Lebanon County before our long drive down to southern Lancaster County to the Black Rock Retreat to visit the JK Mechanical work team. We stopped by to get a cup of coffee at this beautifully restored barn near Lititz PA. Barns like this have become very popular banquet and wedding venues.
Today's
Suggested Music and
Supplemental Resources
"The Servant Song" Video Maranatha Singers
"Make me Your Servant" Video Maranatha Singers
Black Rock Retreat
JK Mechanical
Finally Today:
We got home late yesterday afternoon and since we normally keep our nearly 17 year old cat Dottie in the barn I let her out for some fresh air. She still likes to mosey around. Later I looked out our office window and saw she was in a long stare down with this squirrel she thought she had cornered up on a brace. But after a while the squirrel, of course, managed to escape!
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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