We are the Body…Week Four

Welcome to the fourth week of We Are the Body. We are thrilled you are joining us. This Bible study will be slightly different than our last one in that we won’t have video or a study guide. However, we will a time of Deeper Refinement that will allow you to spend the week digging a little further into each week’s lesson. Please make sure to leave your link, or let us know through the comment section, if you are participating so that we can pray for everyone involved!

The Crucified Life

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

As I continue to read about the life of Jesus, I am becoming more deeply aware of the calling I have to live the “crucified life.” I am reminded that all I do in this life should spring from a heart which offers all that I am as a living sacrifice. I also sense the constant battle of my flesh that screams, “What about ME? What about MY rights? What about MY comfort? What about MY “needs”…or MY children’s “needs”…or MY husbands “needs?”"

I often share about the importance of being involved in the lives of other believers…the body of Christ…and how much we need each other. On a daily basis I have the opportunity to choose whether or not the things that I do are going to be done with only ME in mind, or if I am going to live a life of service and reach out to the people that God brings into my life.

Here are the ways I have been challenged as I have been thinking through how I can serve others and offer my life as a sacrifice.

When I invite someone into my home, do I expect that the person I am serving will invite me over, be my friend, or be my children’s friend…OR…Do I invite others over as the Lord brings them to mind, with the sole purpose of serving and encouraging them. When they leave do I hope they will reciprocate the invitation, or do I simply thank them for taking the time to come over. Am I grateful for the opportunity to serve another and expect nothing in return?

When I go to church, do I look for opportunities to reach out to those around me, find out about their week, and look for ways to build up and encourage…not expecting anyone to do the same for me? Can I be content if nobody asks about me?

When I am in a store, do I become impatient if the sales clerk is slow or unfriendly, or do I put aside my “rights” and graciously encourage and serve anyway?

When someone mistreats me, is sarcastic, or makes me feel foolish, do I become upset because they have not respected me or because my dignity has been taken from me…or do I quietly “take the hits” and offer my dignity, reputation, and hurt feelings to the Lord, serving even those who treat me this way?

When I see a friend spending time with other people and leaving me out, or when my children are feeling neglected by a friend, how do I respond? Do I get hurt or disappointed? Do I allow resentment to enter in, or do I offer my friendships to the Lord, remembering that I am owed nothing. Do I continue to seek out ways to serve those friends who no longer include me…even if they never include me again? Can I serve them and expect nothing in return?

In each situation I experience a battle. I want comfort. I want respect. I want others to serve ME….I want to feel accepted and cared for, but that is not what I am called to. I am called to offer myself as a living sacrifice. In all things, I am called to willingly offer myself, my rights, and even my desires as a sacrifice to God.

I am going to be “real” now…I must be honest…I have experienced each situation that I have shared, and each situation has brought pain. I have had my feelings hurt. However, I have a choice. How am I going to respond? 

Do I want to be conformed to the image of Christ, or do I want what I want? Each time I offer up my life, my rights, my comfort, my friendships, my children’s friendships, my agenda, and all of these things up to the Lord as a sacrifice…I am then able to leave them behind, move on, and learn in a deeper way what it means to serve without expectations. All of these situations are opportunities for me to learn how to live the crucified life! I am ashamed to say that I have not always wanted to live the crucified life, but I am growing in this area!

“To be crucified with Christ means that you volunteer to forgo all your personal rights except one: your right as a believer to be filled and led by the Spirit of Christ who dwells within you. Don’t make the mistake of trying to simply ignore your rights when they are so difficult to lay down. Surrender them to Christ and ask Him to replace them with a supernatural work of the Spirit: with healing, with power, with wisdom!” ~Beth Moore

Serving is much more than just doing nice things for others. I serve God when I serve others. When I serve others it requires me to “die to self.” I serve and obey God when I am “crucified with Christ,” and I identify myself with Christ and His death. He is then able to live THROUGH me.

To think that He would even want to live through ME…that boggles my mind! I love that!

We are called to live the “crucified” life.  What does this look like to you? How does this play out in your daily life?

Grab your notebook again and get ready for a time of evaluation. Each night before you go to bed think of at least three people that you had encounters with.  It could be your child, your spouse, a neighbor, a store clerk… anyone. In your notebook do the following:

1. Write down the persons name

2. Describe the encounter you had with that person

3. Did you have an opportunity to serve that person? If so, how? If not, what could you have done differently?

4. Did you serve sacrificially or to edify yourself?

5. Spend a few moments praying for each person you’ve written down and for yourself that the Lord would continue to give you opportunity to serve them.

You can come back anytime this week and add your link below, or share in the comments, if you choose to share what the Lord has shown you through this.

If you are doing this study with us, please take a moment and add your link so we can pray for you during our 8 weeks together.

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About The Author

Gina has written 12 articles on this blog.

Gina has been married 22 years and is the mother of 2 children. She lives on a college campus where she and her husband live to serve the students that show up at their door. You can find Gina at her blog Chats with An "Old Lady".

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