1 Corinthians 12:14-15

We are all of the body of Christ.  We are all one church.  It does not matter: Race, Residency, Gender, Age, or anything.  If you accept the gospel message and you are a Christian, then you are apart of the body of Christ.  I can't make the body of Christ by myself.  No, it takes the collection of the believers.  It takes our brothers and sisters in the States, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, Uganda, Cambodia, Jamaica.  It takes the believers around the world to make up the body of Christ.  Also it doesn’t matter if I’m a foot, or a hand, or just a single leg hair.  I just want a spot.  In heaven if all I get is the scraps from the table, then I’ll be joyous because at least I have a spot in the glory of God.  Also each body part has a different purpose.  A hand can’t just move around on it’s own.  No it must be attached to the rest of the body.  Like Christian said, “We are like the Power Rangers.  Sure we are cool by ourselves, but we need to be with one another and connect to one another to defeat the enemy.”  This is cool if you really think about it.  Apart from the rest of the believers I’m weak.  They feed into me, they plug into me.  I am made stronger by the challenges they put me up to.  It’s all for Jesus, but they are plugging into me.  So today, I will try and be closer to my fellow body members.  I will not trust in myself to defeat the enemy, but rather rely on the body to help me defeat him.  For I am weak by myself, but with Christ and the body, I am stronger.

Ephesians 5:21

What does it mean to submit?  Webster says to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person.  We know that yielding to this force is yielding to God, but what about the other person?  That’s the harder one.  Submitting to God we know He will do nothing to harm us, only to prosper us.  He knows what we need and will provide it, if I need to be humbled He will do so.  Praise be to God for that too.  On the other hand though is people.  People can really suck man.  Talk about a tough commandment.  We are called to submit to others because we’re all equal at the cross.  In this submission we are to serve people no matter what person and no matter what they do.  I mean the perfect example is Jesus.  First of all He’s God and for whatever reason He decided to come down to earth just to serve.  Doesn't make any sense to me in my carnal mind, but He is God so He knows best.  He not just came down to serve, but He served the unrighteousness.  He served the dirtiest of the scum of the earth.  Christ washed the feet of Judas, He knew Judas was in the process of betraying Him.  It wasn’t a surprise, yet He showed him love still.  Yet He submitted to Judas still.  He put Himself under Judas.  Wow.  I mean if I knew I had a friend, and we become super close.  Like living together and walking together for like three years everyday.  Then one day he would sell me out for something I never did for like a fifty dollar bill.  I would be pissed.  I would definitely not be washing that dudes feet.  I for sure would not submit.  I would think of myself so much higher, but I’m not.  We’re all equal at the cross.  I have to keep that in my mind while witnessing and serving and just my daily life.  I am the lowest of the earth.  I am a wretch, but at the cross I am the same as kings.  So today, I will submit to all.  I will serve if someone needs it.  If someone is struggling with their bag on the 600 stair hike, I will carry it for them.  Not in my glory.  It won’t be a, “Hey look at Micah, he has five peoples bags on him, he is so good.”  No it will be all for God and out of submission towards my classmates.  I will be submitting towards all.  

Galatians 5:13

In Christ I am free.  I have different freedoms too.  I have the freedom to spoke my pipe, but I am also free to not do so.  Is smoking fulfilling my flesh, or was it serving my fellow brothers?  I don’t recall a time where it was helpful towards witnessing, nor did it build anyone up.  I am told to serve by love.  I am told not to use my liberty’s as a carnal fulfillment.  If  by smoking I am being a stumbling block, than I am not serving either.  I am not called to live in the flesh, no I am called to share the gospel.  I am called to speak His words.  I am called to serve my brother.  So if I am unable to do any of those because I am smoking and it’s distracting others, than I need to stop and grow up.  I am free to smoke, but I am free to not smoke.  I am free to not watch movies that might stumble another body member.  Or listen to music that isn’t going to edify.  I am free to do all of these, but the cooler freedom is to not do so, because of the return instead.  Yes, if I see a funny movie, I will be happy for a little bit, but if I’m out serving and just loving others, I will be joyous for even longer.  So, today I will look for freedoms that are in my life that are just filling my flesh and turn it around for the opposite.  I will pray about it and ask for God to do His work in my life.

1 Corinthians 9:22

To the weak I became the weak.  I am not to become the even stronger.  I am to become the weak.  I am to bend down to where they are and hurt with them.  I am to be weak so God can be strong.  If someone is hurting due to a loss, I should hurt with them and comfort them.  Believer or unbeliever.  Paul finishes the verse saying, “That I might, by all means save some.”  The whole mindset I should have in this process is to lead people to Christ.  Comfort them with the gospel.  Share the love of Christ.  I am not able to do anything in my power except mess things up.  I need to not speak my words, but allow the Spirit to move and speak through me.  If someone is hurting, I need to hurt to and love them so they might come to Christ, not so I will be thanked or glorified, but so they might come to Christ.  Christ will give them rest.  I can’t provide it.  So today, I will become weak.  I will become all things to all men so I might present the gospel.  If someone is tired, I will be tired.  If someone is in need of rest, I will also be in need of rest.  I will do so by asking for a filling of the Spirit and to ask God to make me all things to all men.

Romans 15:1

The strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.  If someone is struggling with a sin that the Lord helped me to overcome, I should help my weaker brother in the same.  I know in my life my tongue is a weak area.  I tend to use it to tear down instead of edification.  Edifying gives life, but my lips are often used to poison and destroy.  So I need to go to a stronger brother.  I need to have discipleship in the area of building up.  Someone who mastered this area, that they can help bear my infirmity.  Then say I overcome this area in my life, I need to bear the burden for someone else.  I need to show them how to.  I need to lead them to the cross.  Then if they overcome it, they need to help someone else too.  Also in the whole process the person bearing the burden, mustn’t become head strong.  They can not brag about how good they are and that they are better because they don’t destroy peoples joy anymore.  They need to be humble, and they need to be loving.  Also when the other person through God overcomes the sin, they can’t brag that they made that person overcome the sin.  No, it was God and not man.  Man sucks.  Man is wicked, but God is perfect.  We need God to help us with our issues.  When I read this verse I see a crippled dude in the streets fall over and he can’t get up.  I then see a healthy dude come over and pick him up and help him walk again.  In the same way this is how Christianity should be walked out.  We have to help the crippled man walk again.  Today I will keep being discipled by the whole program.  I will let them mold me.  I am the crippled man and Potter’s Field is in the process of picking me up.  I won’t fight them picking me up I need help walking again.  

Hebrews 13:17

Obey them that have rule over you.  In this season of my life I must submit to Potter’s Field.  This IBS is going to be very repetitive of yesterday’s for me, but it’s what God has placed in my life.  I am a servant to Potter’s Field at the moment, they have complete control over me, well in godly choices, but I wouldn’t expect anything different of them.  Submission is really easy when you think about it.  You either allow someone to rule over you and you do as they say, or you remain in control of your life and I know for me if I’m in control during this season I’ll screw stuff up so I’ll submit to Potter’s Field.  First I must submit to the Lord and then Potter’s Field though.  Giving God 100% control over me and then Potter’s Field.  The verse goes on to say that the must give an account for you, and they want to make it joyful and not grievous.  I want to do the best I can this year, I don’t want to disappoint Potter’s Field.  They have invested a lot into my life.  Time, Money, Godly men, and a whole lot more.  Even in just half of my training I feel my walk with the Lord has not just been added to, but multiplied by.  So thanks to God and Potter’s Field.  I hope I can be one of the interns that at the end of the year they may be joyous about and not grievous.  So today, I will lay down my flesh at the foot of the cross, I will lay down my pride and allow my authority to have all control over me.  I have to pray for submission first to God and secondly Potter’s Field.

Ephesians 6:1+Colossians 3:20

Children are told to obey their parents, in the Lord.  The key is to obey in the Lord.  If my parents tell me to do something unbiblical I’m not called to obey them then, which we saw in Acts 5:29.  To obey my parents.  I’m not under my parents roof at the moment so it’s not really that easy to obey them, but I am under the roof of Potter’s Field, they are my parents at the moment.  Yes not actually my parents, but they are in charge of me currently.  So it is my responsibility to listen to Potter’s Field.  Then the two verses vary a little.  In Ephesians it says, for this is right.  In Colossians it says, for it pleases the Lord.  When I obey my parents or in this case Potter’s Field, it is pleasing to God.  God is pleased when I obey.  Also in the ten commandments a promise is involved when I obey my parents.  That my days may be long upon the earth.  It is the first commandment with a promise.  And if there is one thing  know of God and His promises is, He keeps them.  He does not turn His back on me or anyone He makes a promise with.  So if I want to be apart of God’s promises and please Him, I must obey my authority.  Today, I will listen to my authoritative figures and obey them.  If I’m told to set up Chapel chairs, I will do so.  If I’m told to get more dinner plates, I will do so.  If I’m told to change the water jug, I will do so.  I will obey my “parents” in the Lord.