The Head of the Body

¹³ For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my ^[h]countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles –

Galatians 1

Can we see a great and opposite contrast in this Scripture?  Paul, a Jew used to keep the outer external “religious” rites of what was once a true religion God erected.  God is the one who gave the Jews the LAW, the codes, the instructions of rituals.   And when Christ was on earth, the Pharisees held to those traditions refusing to hear that God has sent His Son.

He NOW though was to BE the ONE to live in the hearts of men as the FULFILLMENT, the HOPE, the WORKING OUT of all that good in us through and only through the life of JESUS CHRIST AND HIS PERSON dwelling inside.  This was to be realized through God’s Spirit.  No ritual on the outside could produce the fruit of LIFE except through the LIFE HIMSELF.

We find this in His Word – in the epistles as revealed to Paul by the Lord Himself.  The NEW DAY had come – the NEW WAY had come – the plan of GOD was further revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.

I was thinking about my hand this morning – using my own body as an analogy.  The hand on my body is NOT your hand.  If I hit my hand, you wouldn’t feel the pain.  You might be able to empathize because you once hit your hand and remember how it felt – but you wouldn’t be FEELING the pain in that moment – only remembering, only sympathizing.

So if I did hit my hand, the first part of my body that would response is the HEAD.  It’s so quick though we don’t even realize at times just how quickly the head responds.  Where do I think “ouuuuucccccch” comes from?  Then a plan of action comes in due time.  Questions are answered – did I break it – do I need a doctor, bandaid?  And then sometimes it takes just a bit for me to realize what to do.

Marvelous, this body is.  But the body is UNABLE to function without my head.  Impossible.

Here is a new poem:  “We are dead without our head.”  Hey, it rhymes and it’s the TRUTH!

We are members of the Lord’s body – He is the HEAD.  Ephesians talks of Him having pre-eminence in all things – and that God gave HIM to be HEAD over ALL THINGS pertaining to the church.

This really denotes the reality of His ownership.  I was brought into Christ through the new birth and placed into HIS BODY where He was pleased.  And now this CHRIST, the HEAD – the FIRSTBORN over ALL the new creation dwells in my heart.  He is to be the ONE to lead our lives and direct our beings.

When there is a problem in His body, it’s the HEAD who knows how to fix all.  Oh, that we would all acknowledge His place in and over us in every way – submitting to HIM in everything, in every way.

The only way I have found to do this is by faith – to trust HIM about even where I am right now in this moment.  Proverbs says to ACKNOWLEDGE HIM in ALL our WAYS, and HE WILL direct our paths!

May the consciousness of WHO IT IS WHO DWELLS in us become EVER STRONG in every heart that belongs to Him.  We belong to Jesus  - all of us – not just our spirits but our whole being.

“Thank you Father for the GREAT SALVATION YOU alone have provided.  Let each one of us truly experience the reality of CHRIST in our hearts, be shaped into WHO you desire.  And may the OUTFLOW of YOUR LIFE and PERSON be ever so manifested in each member of your body!  IN Jesus name, AMEN!”

Trusting in Jesus Christ, our HEAD, with you,

Sue Gaither