1222. Weekly News + Whose Body are you Building Up?

Our culture makes it difficult for us to see God’s greater interests-to see His bigger picture, but we must force ourselves to get beyond the news of the day, ourselves, and our local church. God’s bigger picture is the redemption of the entire human race. He has just as much love and concern for a beggar in India as He does for you or me. He certainly cares for His children who are facing severe persecution just for following Jesus. (See last article above.) He is all about restoring everything and everybody. He sent His Son because of His love for the world. Churches and their individual members need to be reminded of this basic fact. Both need to get over their preoccupation with their own “growth.” Neither are here to develop spiritual lives of their own or to rest in spiritual retirement. Both are here to build up the body of Christ until God’s bigger picture becomes reality.

If you are focused on your own personal development in Christ, then you must share His concerns and interests. If you want to be one with Him, you must become one with His purposes as well, and that means developing a global focus. As long as you’re still serving your own interests, this will never happen. Only abandonment to your Master will allow you to see through His eyes and feel with His heart.

Our natural tendency is to focus on what Christ has done for us personally. Well, there are several billion other people for whom Jesus would like to do something, like welcome them into the Body. But even more than doing something for them, He wants them to know Him, really know Him, and this is His desire for you, too.