Lessons from Legos – Part 3
This week’s devotions are based on “We’re in this Together!” (WATCH HERE)
If you gave a child a single lego block, their interest would wane rather quickly. Buy them a Titanic kit (I had to look it up as I am not a Lego fanatic!) kit with over 9,000 pieces and the child (or adult) is entertained for hours…maybe days. Yet when one looks at all the pieces that make up the kit, there are a few that are similar, but there are many different types of pieces that make up the whole. Every piece has a unique function in the overall creation. Ask a lover of Legos how they feel if they can’t find the right piece and frustration is shared. Every piece has a purpose and without every piece accounted for the creation is left incomplete in some way.
Yet, it would be ridiculous for any one piece of the Titanic to say, “I am the Titanic!” No, only the collective becomes the Titanic. So it is in the Body of Christ. None of us can say, “I am the body of Christ!” The collective of all God’s people is the Body of Christ.
This means we need each other. We need every piece which God has put his name on and designed to be part of the Kingdom of God Kit. We need people not like us with different abilities, different talents, different experiences and different ways of thinking. Each part has a role in the Body of Christ. Paul put it this way:
1 Corinthians 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
The amazing thing about all the parts of the Body, is that God has placed them just where he wanted them to be. That means he gave YOU exactly what he wanted YOU to have in regard to your gifts, talents, etc. Why? Because he needs and wants YOU to be an active part of his Body and combine the gifts he has given to you with others to do his work.
Here’s kind of the cool thing. In Latin, “lego” means, “I put together.” Just like the creator of a Lego kit puts the right pieces together to form the creation he intended, so God has put YOU together in just the right place to make the creation for his kingdom he desired.
There are many parts, but one body. God put us together for his purpose!
Apply: Do you sometimes feel you are not able to contribute or don’t need to contribute to the Body of Christ in your local church? YOU DO! Your gifts are being missed if you are sitting on the sideline. God has placed you there to use your gifts with others to do his work…get involved!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gifts you have given to me and to every one who is in your family of grace. Forgive me for sitting on the sidelines or dismissing the gifts of others. Lead each of us to realize how much we need one another and appreciate and use the gifts of others, even as we freely offer our gifts to your kingdom work. AMEN.
Lessons from Legos – Part 2
This week’s devotions are based on “We’re in this Together!” (WATCH HERE)
Legos were designed to be connected to others, yet not all Lego pieces are the same. If you buy a Lego kit, it doesn’t take long to realize that while some parts are the same, many are different. The sizes are different. The shapes are different. The colors are different. The use of the part is different.
Christians were designed to be connected to others, yet not all Christians are the same. They too come in different shapes, sizes and colors. But we also come with different talents, different experiences, different perspectives.
One would find it rather silly to imagine a discussion between Lego blocks that would pit one brick against another. It would seem obvious that the differences of Lego blocks would be important to build the Lego creation they were put together to create. If every block was the same size, shape and color, the creation would not be all that impressive.
However, among Christians, differences can sometimes be the catalyst for arguments, division, and discord in the body of Christ. We can subconsciously perceive that everyone should be the same as me or think the same or have the same perspective. We can be judgmental of someone who doesn’t have the same gifting or offer the same contributions. Or we can be jealous of others and wish that we were the same as someone else, ignoring the uniqueness and giftedness with which we have been blessed.
Yes, Lego bricks are different. Christians are different. But just like Lego bricks were designed to be different so they could combine with other different bricks, so Christians were designed to combine their uniqueness with other Christians to carry out the work of God as God designed it.
While we are different, we have a common Creator. Lego bricks all are made of plastic, have a connector knob on top and a corresponding receiving design on the bottom AND every authentic Lego block has the name “Lego” imprinted on it.
For Christians, we have some important similarities. We have one common Creator who not only made us physically, but redeemed us spiritually. We are unified by the saving work of Jesus Christ and simply have God’s name imprinted on us. None of us are Christian by our own choosing or effort, God made us his own and called us to be part of his kingdom and gave us the very gifts he wanted us to have to do the work he has prepared for us to do.
So just like building a Lego creation takes many different parts that all share a common creator, so in Christ, enjoy being part of the body of Christ, as different as you are, but share a common Creator and are given a common purpose.
Romans 12:4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Apply: Sometimes our differences of gifting can create division. What is one thing you can do to appreciate another person’s gifting and value it adds to the work of the body of Christ?
Prayer: Lord God thank you for making us all different, but unifying us by your grace around the saving work of Christ and the important work of the Body of Christ. AMEN.
Lessons from Legos – Part 1
This week’s devotions are based on “We’re in this Together!” (WATCH HERE)
Lessons from Legos.
In 1958, the current form of Lego bricks was born. First invented by Kirk Christiansen of Denmark, Legos have become a world-wide toy, known for their interlocking, creative inducing, play time. This simple brick and many other iterations all work to connect to each other without glue, nails or other connectors. A patented connection system makes the Lego blocks still one of the most popular toys for kids (and adults) today.
So what can we learn from Legos?
Lots. Especially when it comes to illustrating and helping us understand the blessing of what God has given to us in the concept and reality of the Body of Christ. The message from yesterday is the place to start…see the link above to watch it. But let’s delve into Legos, but most importantly the Logos (Greek for Word).
I have heard people say, and perhaps reader you have thought it at some point too, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” I would say that technically I can agree with that, but it is a narrow statement and honestly an excuse not to attend or be involved in a local congregation. Many reasons (excuses?) can be found why one might find this to be a truism for their experience. Maybe they were not treated in a loving manner. Maybe they did get busy with life. Maybe they didn’t have the experience that they wanted to have.
Perhaps if we reword this question with Legos in mind, it will have a different ring. “A Lego doesn’t have to be part of a kit to be a Lego.”
Anyone ever said that to you? Holding a single Lego brick would give validity to the claim, “A Lego doesn’t need other Lego’s to make it a Lego. It is a Lego all by itself.” However, just give a child one Lego to play with and see what their reaction is, “I can’t do anything with just one Lego!”
Perhaps this helps to understand that just like Kirk Christiansen didn’t invent Legos to just be isolated bricks, so God didn’t give you faith to make you an isolated Christian. Legos are inherently designed to fit together and work together with other Legos. A single Lego can exist as a single Lego, but it will never fully achieve its purpose until it is used in conjunction with other Legos. So God makes Christians not to be in isolation, but to be connected with other Christians. Can a Christian end up in heaven without being around other Christians? I would say, “Yes, it’s possible.” However, an isolated Christian will never achieve his or her purpose and greater blessing unless they are connected with and interacting with other Christians.
This isn’t my idea or the institution of the church’s idea to get people to belong. This is God’s idea to bring the greatest blessings to individuals and through individuals to others.
1 Corinthians 12:6 The body is not made up of one part, but many.
A single part is not the whole, but is part of the whole. Even with two Lego bricks you can do something. But with more, the potential becomes limitless.
God has made you his child and designed you to be in community with other Christians. To isolate oneself is to miss out on both the blessing and purpose of being a Christian on this earth…to be connected to and serving with other members of the body of Christ.
Apply: Sometimes people say, “I don’t have to be part of a church to be a Christian.” Technically, that is true. However, use today’s illustration with Lego’s to share the reality that a single Lego doesn’t need other Lego’s to be a Lego, but a single Lego is missing out on blessing and purpose when it is not with other Legos.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love and grace given to me individually. Thank you also for designing me for and putting me in community with others in your Body. Help me experience the joy and purpose of being with others of your children. AMEN.
Pursue Endurance and Gentleness!
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 6: “Pursue Your Future with Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
I just want to quit.
Have you ever felt this way?
Maybe halfway through a semester of a class that is proving challenging and taking a lot of your time…I want to quit.
Maybe you are running your first half marathon and your legs are burning and you just want to stop and step off the race course.
Maybe you signed a contract with the military for a four year enlistment and half way through you feel like quitting.
Endurance is a hard thing because when we are doing hard things we feel like quitting.
Being a follower of Christ is not an easy thing. Jesus himself challenged those that would follow him to “count the cost.” If you get into following Jesus, it’s not going to be easy to stay a follower for the rest of your life. Jesus warned us:
Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
The Apostle Paul let us in on what he had to endure as a follower and missionary for Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
“Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”
The key to endurance is relying on the strength of the Lord. When we feel like giving up and stepping away from our Savior, it’s time to pursue our Savior all the more. He will give us strength.
The last of the pursuits is gentleness. Gentleness is kindness with humility. Gentleness is the spirit with which we go through life even when faced with conflict. Gentleness is the ability to show grace when grace is not deserved. Gentleness is a spirit that doesn’t get worked up when others antagonize us and responds with love and respect. This is key in our witness of our Savior. If we blow up, are rude, or angry, we will miss a crucial piece to our witness. The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Gentleness communicates the attitude of love to those with whom we interact. It’s not easy, so we pursue it.
Pursuit takes effort. Pursuit takes intention. Pursuit is a constant. But pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness, with the Lord’s blessing will exhibit clearly to the world the grace of God you have received.
Finally pursue grace.
1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Apply: What moments in your Christian life do you feel like giving up and walking away from following Christ? What helps prevent this from happening?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace for it is my motivation and strength to pursue all that you would have me pursue for the glory of your name and to be a blessing to others. AMEN.
Pursue Love!
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 6: “Pursue Your Future with Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
Perhaps when we first hear the phrase, “pursue love,” our initial reaction is to go after those things that make you feel loved. Our society around us promotes chasing after individuals or experiences that make you feel loved. To be sure, feeling loved is a very important aspect of human nature.
But here’s the refocus that God gives us in regard to a future filled with his grace. We are ALREADY loved! We don’t have to pursue love as it has already been given to us. We are loved so much that Jesus came to this earth to live, die and rise again for YOU, for me! We are loved so much that all we have and need is provided as a gift of grace for our enjoyment of this earth. We are loved so much that we have been promised an eternity of joy and bliss around the throne of God forever!
The love God has given to us will never let us down.
Human love, as much as it is a blessing, can let us down. Ask any married couple, even ones who say, “I married the love of my life.” Sometimes that love lets us down. We still value it, appreciate it and are blessed by it, but it is a shadow of God’s perfect love for us.
So, we don’t have to pursue being loved, so what does it mean to pursue love as Paul writes to Timothy, (our verse of the week) “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11).
The pursuit of love is the desire to reflect the love we have been shown to the people around us. As the Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.”
The great thing about the love that God has shown to us, is it becomes the model of what it looks like to love others. The Apostle Paul captures the characteristics of this giving, sacrificial love in 1 Corinthians 13, “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
This is what we are pursuing, a love like this.
But it’s tough, because our sinful nature doesn’t want to be loving. It wants to be selfish and really pursue love of others for personal needs and desires. Our sinful nature wants to do just the opposite of love and pursue what is personally beneficial rather than doing what is a blessing to others.
So pursuing love is a spiritual battle between the Spirit of God at work in us and the sinful nature of self that seeks to pursue self over love.
How does our heart and life pursue love?
We also pursue a stronger connection to God’s love for us. It is the only strength we can find that will allow us to better live out love in the relationships around us. It is the only way we can pursue love to show God’s love to others rather than simply pursue love for the gratification of one’s self.
Apply: Where do you see the spiritual battle waging in your life between pursuing love for your personal motives or pursuing the ability to love as you have been loved?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your selfless love that you have shown to us. We are grateful we did not have to pursue it but it was given to us. Help us win the battle over our sinful nature and show your love to others each and every day…including today! AMEN.