Daily Devotional
May 23, 2013
A life-part of Himself
"And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell." Colossians 1:18-19
The Body is central in the heart of God because it is the Body of Christ! As the Head, Christ is filling all the members of His Body, the church. Consider Paul's utterances: 22 "And gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" and "He is the head of the body, the church . . . For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell" (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18-19). In other words, the way the fullness dwells in Christ is directly related to His being the Head of His Body. He has dispensed Himself into our spirit, making us an organic, life-part of Himself. Now the mystery of Christ is revealed, explained, and displayed through all His members. The life flowing from you and the life flowing from me is the life flowing from the Head. He is filling each one of us so that there will be a full, complete expression of how rich our God is.
In this universe there was something hidden in God, and that was His desire to have a Body for His Son. This corporate entity is also described as the Father's house. We are the many abodes in that house, and we are His dwelling place (John 14:2; Eph. 2:22). He desires to live in us, walk in us, and move through us (2 Cor. 6:16). This is God's home. This is what He wanted in this universe—to have all His chosen and redeemed people indwelt with His very life. This was what God had in His heart when He thought about creating an earth. So we can say, "Earth, this is your meaning. Trees, grass, atmosphere, stars, moon, your meaning is for our God to have a dwelling place in man." This is the meaning of the universe—Christ with His Body, the church.
- Bill Freeman, The Supplied Life