All I Need ~ The Body of Christ ~ Dichotomy?

The Christian faith is filled with apparent dichotomies. Sometimes (OK, all the time) they cause me to scratch my head in wonder. The process and journey always leads me to a greater faith and closer relationship with the Lord - although sometimes the road along the way to that is bumpy. I was  faced with one such dichotomy this morning at church.

I love the song "All I Need" by JJ Heller. A young lady (with an amazing voice, I might add!) sung it this morning. You can listen here to JJ Heller (you missed out if you didn't get to hear Mara sing it this morning!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZhJwPs9CRTU#!

These are the lyrics:

"All I Need"

Don't need a thing
My good Shepherd brings me all
You are all I need

You let me catch my breath
Even in the valley of death
You are all I need

All I need to be complete
Is Your love
Your blood that covers me

You lift up my head
You provide the wine and bread
You, You are all I need

There's no need to fear
Even with my enemies here
You are all I need

All I need to be complete
Is Your love
Your blood that covers me

Goodness and mercy are following me
You're all that I need
You make a home for me
Where pastures are green as far as I see
You are all I need

All I need to be complete
Is Your love
Your blood that covers me 

I believe there is such truth in these words. God's Word says in 1 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

However, it is also true that God did not create us to be "Lone Ranger Christians".  Hebrews 10:24-25 says,"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." God's Word also says in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27: "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

We were not designed to try to live life all by ourselves. When I first became a Christian I was living with my Dad and my family is Jewish. I didn't go to church except when I hung out with my best friend after school on Wednesday's or spent the night at her house on a Saturday night. Yes, I was a rebel child and I went to church behind my parent's back! (Truth is, I'm sure my Dad knew I went when I spent that time with my best friend, but as long as it wasn't TOO often, he didn't say anything). But other than those times I was pretty much on my own. I felt like it was me and God against the world. During that time I did grow in my faith, but not nearly as much as I did once I went to college. It was at that time that I became a member of a church and spent time studying God's Word with other believers, and spent time in fellowship with other believers.

So, the truth of the matter is that yes, God is all I need to be complete. I don't need to be married to be complete. I don't need my friends to be complete. I don't need validation from others to be complete. I am complete in Christ - His life gives me all I need. But it is equally true that God doesn't intend for me to live my life in seclusion. He wants me to be part of this world (not to be of this world, but part of the world) in order to be a light. He wants me to be in fellowship with others in the Body of Christ to help to encourage me, to help me in learning more about His Truth.

Even as I type this I have a hard time really wrapping my mind around these two truths and how they relate to each other. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter if you'd like to share.

With Faith and Trust,

Sherri