I am having a great time leisurely strolling through that first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. In a few short verses he expounds on so much of what we have in Christ—knowledge, wisdom, understanding, strength, endurance, patience. We live in the light. We have freedom anchored in the very Person of the Living God!
After Paul gives us that glorious portrait of our Savior Christ Jesus as Preeminent over all Creation, he adds something deeply personal to each of us.
“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.” [Colossians 1: 18 NLT]
Christ is the head of the church, and, the church is His body. Isn’t that amazing? Together we are the corporate body of Christ. We move and minister as a complete body, following the direction given by the Head.
But, we are also individual members of His body as He explained to the Roman church. “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.” [Romans 12:4-6a NLT]
Our Father God doesn’t view us as just a “corporate” body, He views us as “individuals.” We each have different gifts, different experiences, different talents to offer. He knows us by name.
He KNOWS us by OUR NAME! That is even more amazing!
