Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #29

Together For the King

1:21 "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God."

When God establishes people in Christ, He does not establish them alone. He establishes them with others. He "establishes us with you in Christ."

No believer is an island. We are in this together. One of the greatest gifts every believer is given is the connection we enjoy with other believers.

Some have not received this gift well. You may have heard the saying: "To dwell above with the saints in love, O that will be glory. But to dwell below with the saints I know, now that’s a different story!"

We are all part of one body. And each part of the body needs and is needed by the other parts. Paul forbids us from saying we don’t need other believers:

"But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’" (1Cor.12:20-21)

And Paul forbids us from thinking we’re not needed:

"The body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body." (1Cor.12:14-16)

God has chosen to reveal His powerful love by creating a people who love one another in the way He has loved them. If we deny our togetherness in the body of Christ, we deny the love Christ has shed in our hearts (Rom.5:5).

My gracious Father, thank You for establishing me in Christ together with Your people. Thank You for the privilege of dwelling among His beloved ones. Thank You for making me a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for Your own possession. Forgive me for my pride and independence. Help me to treat my brothers and sisters as if they are Your precious treasures. Help me to treat them as the bride of Christ, the apple of Your eye. Help me to love the ones You love, and to treat them as if we’re in this together.