Edifying the Body of Christ

       Tonight after Bible class one of the ladies in our congregation came up to me with a smile on her face, said - "Let me edify you tonight," and then she gave me a big hug.  I enjoyed that.  This sister is full of love; and she is also full of fun.  I just love being around her.  We laughed and spoke to one another for a moment, and then she turned to another sister with the same hug and "let me edify you tonight."  After all, most everyone loves a hug.  And we all need encouragement.  I wasn't in the adult class, but I got the feeling that edification of the church may have been the subject of the lesson for them tonight.  But again, that's just a guess.
        Most of us take care of our earthly physical bodies.  I mean, within reason.  Some of us are in better shape than others and some of us are diligent about eating right and staying fit.  But for the most part we take care of ourselves.  We clothe our bodies and seek shelter to stay warm and dry.  We seek nourishment to keep our bodies going.  We feed our children so that they can grow.  We take vitamins to keep our bodies strong.  So in essence we edify our earthly bodies.
     When we talk about the church we are talking about the body of Christ.  As individual members of this body --His body -- we are to take care of it as lovingly as we take care of our own.  We should love and encourage our fellow Christians.  A hug and a little laugh sometimes goes a long way in "edifying the body."  And when we do this, we are obeying the commandments of our Lord.  Any time a member of Christ's body - which we are also a member of - needs help in any way -- we should be there.  If we cut our hand while cooking, we put a band aid on the cut to stop the bleeding.  We keep the band aid on until the cut is healed enough for the hand to function without it.  So when a church member is hurting or suffering in some way, it is our duty to help them -- we become the band aid - we give that person particular attention until they are able to function without extra help, support or attention. 
       We nourish our bodies with food.  So we nourish the members of Christ's body with spiritual food.  That could come in the form of studying God's word together, or praying together - or perhaps just offering some encouragement to lift their spirits.  When we encourage someone or pray or study with them - we might be giving them the strength they need to continue serving the Lord. 
     I know I could go on with more examples and scriptures -- but it all boils down to one thing.  We are supposed to help our Savior take care of His body while we are here.  Sometimes that might mean being discreet - keeping things to yourself instead of sharing everything you know.  Sometimes it might mean stepping up to take your share of blame if a problem arises.  It means you are supposed to show your love for one another.  And if someone is missing for service more than a couple of times - well, that's like losing a finger or a toe.  If you don't try to help that person -- to bring them back into the fold -- then that it is like not even missing or caring about that finger or toe. 
       Now how weird would that be?  If someone asked you what happened to your pinkie finger  and you looked down and said - Oh, well it fell off a couple of weeks ago and I haven't seen it since.  Well people would probably try to have you committed right there on the spot! 
Take care of the Lord's body because you are part of it.  If someone goes missing - go try to find them and bring them back.  You know, kind of like the shepherd who had 100 sheep and lost one.  Remember he left the 99 to go look for the one that was missing? 
       So let the missing know you love them.  Try to get them back.  Help those who are hurting -- really help them in any way you can and as often as you can - until you think they might be OK again.  Don't say harmful things about your church family members.  That's like cutting your own nose off.  Pray with someone when they need that.  Study with someone - encourage someone -- give them the strength and courage to continue to love and serve our God.  Let the other members of the body of Christ know that they matter to you and most especially to God.  For as one member is strengthened, the whole family -- Christ's body-- is strengthened.

Christ above all things,
Robin