God has chosen to place every member in the Body as it has pleased Him. We don't choose what Body part we are. We don't choose where we fit in the Body. Those parts that are connected to each other are destined to be connected to each other.
I sometimes say that my left foot has very little direct fellowship with my right ear. In some positions, they may be a little closer together than in other positions, but unless I become a contortionist and tie my body into a knot, there's no way my left foot and my right ear can touch each other directly.

However, my right hand has direct fellowship with my right ear all the time. With my right hand I can wash my ear, scratch it, rub it—do whatever I need to do to minister to it by directly touching it.

Although my hand and my ear have very different functions in my body, they have been designed to have a direct relationship with one another. But my left foot, though it's also an important part of my body, doesn't have a direct relationship with my right ear.

I use this humorous illustration to remind us of something we tend to forget—the Body of Christ is exactly like the human body. And as members of that Body, we are all joined together in God-ordained relationships.

No Unnecessary Parts
The important word in that last sentence is God-ordained. The Bible says the Lord has set every member in the Body as it has pleased Him.

According to Ephesians 4:15-16, we are to:
Grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Another translation says:
We are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
In other words, the Body of Christ—the Church—is just like the human body. Even in its fallen condition the human body is a marvel. It is "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). And the Body of Christ is like the natural body. It, too, is fearfully and wonderfully made. It's perfect. The parts are perfect.

God made no superfluous or unnecessary parts, and He has fitted the parts (that is, us) together or joined them together exactly as He wills.

God has chosen to place every member in the Body as it has pleased Him. We don't choose what Body part we are. We don't choose where we fit in the Body. Those parts that are connected to each other are destined to be connected to each other.

We don't choose which parts of the Body we have direct relationships with and which ones we have only indirect relationships with. God has made those decision. But when the Body is working properly, all parts work together, help each other and minister to each other so there is an increase or a building up of the whole Body.

Relationship is Important
It's vital that we understand how the Body of Christ works. The most important thing in your life is your relationship with God. After that is your relationship with people—your family, your friends and loved ones—and beyond them, your relationships with other members of the Body of Christ.

We must understand the proper ordering and working of our relationships within the Body of Christ because of the effect relationship has on our prosperity. That's right. Relationship is inseparable from prosperity. Remember, the Bible says that proper functioning in each individual part "causes the growth (or increase) of the body for the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4:16).

You see, God has a plan for the multiplication of the Body's resources. He wants to develop individual members of the Body to the point where they can make a substantial contribution and then link them together. Scripture says one will chase a thousand, but two will put 10,000 to flight (Deut. 32:30).

Individually, each of us can only do so much, no matter how great our faith is or how much wealth we have. But by linking together with other individuals and groups within the Body of Christ, we have all the spiritual and financial strength we need to win the world for Christ.

Moore Life Ministries
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