Today Daily Devotional

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
— 1 Corinthians 12:14

When worker bees first hatch and emerge from their cells, their first task is to clean out their cell so that a new egg can be placed there.As worker bees mature, they gain different responsibilities, becoming nurse bees for new bees, clutter cleaners, guards against hive robbers and threats (stinging if necessary), queen feeders (she cannot feed herself!), scouts and foragers for available nectar and pollen to make honey, and builders of new cells for storing honey, nectar, and eggs. All of this is done in about six weeks while the worker bee lives and prepares for the next generation to keep the hive thriving and growing.It would be inconceivable for any of the bees in a hive to say to one another, “I don’t need you!” It would be just as unimaginable for an ear to say to an eye (or any other part of the human body), “I don’t need you!” That would be absurd.For the body of Christ to mature and thrive, each of Jesus’ followers needs to humbly recognize and do their part. There are many, many ways in which Christ needs us to do our part with him and with the other parts of his body. When we each willingly discern and serve as we are gifted to do, we will mature together and thrive with the whole body.

Lord Jesus, help us to believe and serve as the part of your body where you need us and call us to be. Guide us to serve as you have gifted us, working with the other parts of your body for the benefit of all and for your glory. Amen.

He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
— Colossians 1:18

Honeybees and human beings have a fascination with royalty. Queens and kings rise and fall, and it’s a mystery that we get so interested in them. With honeybees, there’s a life-and-death fixation on the queen bee. A colony cannot survive without a queen. Beekeepers learn this quickly, and their hope for a yield of honey depends on having a healthy queen.In each hive there is only one queen. She has been described as “the mother of all the bees,” “the matriarch,” and “the one in charge of the hive.” The queen is the only fertile female, and a healthy queen will lay up to 2,000 eggs per day!The queen is at the center of the hive’s life—until she can no longer perform her duties. When the colony senses that its queen is ailing or preparing to leave, the workers begin a special process to raise a new queen. They feed a young female “royal jelly” to activate her reproductive system. Soon she will be able to lay eggs to ensure the future growth and survival of the hive.It may be tempting to view the rise and fall of royalty as an unbreakable pattern. But our Bible reading today makes clear that there is one glowing exception. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is the eternal King over all things. He is our head, and we, his people, are his one body. No replacements. We can trust the Son of God to be the King of the universe and the Savior of our lives forever.

King Jesus, thank you for rescuing us from darkness and bringing us into your marvelous kingdom of light, love, and forgiveness. Amen.

You yourselves are God’s temple and . . . God’s Spirit dwells in your midst. . . .
— 1 Corinthians 3:16

A few years ago, a strong wind toppled one of the beehives behind our barn. The hive had been thriving, and it was five boxes tall. The hive had stuck together well. Amazingly, it didn’t break open till it hit the ground. “Bee glue”—propolis— gets the credit for that. But, sadly, the hive was destroyed, and its bees quickly scattered.In his letters to the Christ-followers in Corinth, Paul gets personal and pours out his heart to these new believers. They were going through some stormy and threatening times together, and that was surely predictable. Starting off as a new community in Christ can be hard, and as their pastor and mentor, Paul did all that he could to hold this body of Christ together. They especially needed to be reminded of their identity together— whose they were and who held them together.Propolis is an amazing glue produced by worker bees. This sticky glue is used to fill small gaps to seal and protect the hive from bacteria and viruses. As propolis ages, it strengthens and holds the hive structure together.As Christ-followers, our “glue” is the Holy Spirit, who “dwells in [our] midst,” and together we are God’s temple!In what ways are you standing tall together in the Spirit with other Christ-followers in your community as you worship God and serve him?

Thank you, God, for your grace that enriches the followers of Jesus in every way. Hold us together by your Spirit as a unified temple in service to you, to each other, and to everyone around us. Amen.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
— Acts 2:42

Have you heard of “personal space”? It’s described as the amount of space a person feels is needed in order to relate to and live well with others. Personal space can differ by culture, situation, relationship, and personal preference. For an average Westerner, personal space is about two feet on all sides. Does this seem right and healthy to you? In some other cultures, the distance can be a bit less.Have you ever heard of “bee space”? Specifically, that is the space honeybees leave between combs in a hive. It’s about 1/4 to 3/8 inch (6 - 9 mm)—a delicate balance of “enough room to move freely but not too much empty space,” according to sources on beekeeping. Bee space allows two bees to pass each other back-to- back and makes it possible for thousands of bees to live and work closely together. Smaller spaces are filled with propolis (“bee glue”), and larger spaces are packed with unneeded “burr comb.”Bees are at their best for life in the hive when they are in close quarters with each other. It’s a matter of instinct, not choice.People have more choices in defining personal space. In Acts 2:42 the Spirit of God draws us into a “good and pleasant” space for being and thriving together as followers of Christ. Choose and commit yourself to living in this good space with each other.

Holy Spirit, guide us to live in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we grow together faithfully in you so that others may come to know you also. Amen.

We are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
— 1 Corinthians 3:9

Honeybees are great builders. Inside their hive they make honeycombs consisting of hundreds of six-sided cells. These are the basic building blocks of beehives. The amazing geometry of these cells maximizes storage space while minimizing the wax needed for a stable structure. Beeswax is an ingenious blend of nectar, pollen, saliva, and other ingredients produced by worker bees to form the walls of the cells, which keep their shape in both heat and cold. While these cells are used mainly to store honey and some pollen and nectar, some of the cells are also used as nurseries for eggs and larvae.Hive building is a tribute to the bees’ ability to work well together. Each bee takes up its role in the building process.A tragic contrast to this is our struggle as human beings to build caring communities. Jesus came to reverse our faulty construction habits by reconnecting people to his Father and to one another. Yet we often fail to practice what he taught us. In place of humbly serving with each other in caring, harmonious, constructive ways, for example, the Christian community gets distracted by competing and comparing and by excluding and neglecting one another.Are you a co-worker with God in building a community with others? In what ways is God calling you from self-service to serving him with others?

Thank you, God, for the firm foundation you have made for us in Christ. By your Spirit, direct us to care for each other as we serve to build up the body of Christ. Amen.