July 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is both a joyful and a serious matter. We are to come to the table of our Lord being in the right relationship with God and with each other. Those who come without discerning the body eat and drink judgment on themselves. But what does it mean to “discern the Lord’s body”? Is it to reflect on Christ’s death as we eat and drink? The “body” is not so much a reference to the physical body of Christ as it is to the body of believers. In 1 Corinthians 12 the body is equated with the communion of saints in a local congregation.

The Lord’s Supper is a feast where the congregation proclaims that, through the death of Christ, they have become one body. All the members of the Lord’s body have different characters and personalities. Yet we are united by a common bond—we are miserable sinners in need of salvation through Christ alone. This is why we may not live beside each other without acknowledging the communion we have in the Lord. If we do not treat the body correctly we threaten our own relationship with Christ. Sitting at the Lord’s Supper (the meal of communion) without practising the communion of saints, we eat and drink judgment on ourselves.

To “discern the Lord’s body” is to recognize and judge it correctly. The whole congregation is affected by the actions of those who create trouble and division within the body of Christ. We are at risk when wrong practices or false doctrines are introduced. When the Lord strikes a congregation with adversity we have to examine ourselves personally and as congregation. Are we living together in a God-pleasing manner? Are we practising the communion of saints?

Let’s pray for the peace and well-being of the church. Pray that the unity of the body be preserved as we fix our eyes on Christ our Head. The last day of world history will be the first day of perfect communion and fellowship with the Lord Jesus. The elect will receive the full benefits of Christ’s redeeming work. At that time the Lord’s body will be recognized (discerned) as the perfect bride of Christ, free from all blemishes!