'no Man Is An Island, Entire Of Itself' (John Donne)

'no Man Is An Island, Entire Of Itself' (John Donne)Reader: Angus MacdonaldDate: 23rd April 2022Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:14-------------------We are all different. Some of us like to do things on our own while others like to do things in a group. However, there is one thing we cannot do on our own and that is to be a Christian. A Christian is not "an island, entire of itself." If that is our attitude then we will not survive as a Christian.The apostle Paul spent a long time teaching us that the Christian is a member of a body (the church) a Christian is a member of a fellowship (the church); a Christian is a member of a family (the church). Just as our physical bodies are made up of several different limbs and they are all important, so each Christian is like a limb of the body, the church, and each is important. Fellowship is like the life-blood of the church. As Christians each one is united to Christ, and together we share in a love for Christ and for one another. God gives different jobs to different people in the church so that it can function well — like a good body — and it functions well when we all work together in a mutual love for one another.Love is the hall-mark of the Christian Church. Perhaps the most familiar picture we have of the church is as the family of God. We know how sad it can be in a family if a son or daughter goes away and has nothing more to do with their family. It is a tragedy when that happens in the Christian family, too. If it does happen we must pray for that person's return. Love the family of God and thank him for your place in it as a believer in Jesus.PrayerDear Lord, I thank you for the different people in my church. Help me to love them in Jesus' name. Amen