You Are the Missing Piece

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." - Ephesians 2:19-22 (NKJV)

I love Legos, and I could spend hours building them, but one frustration I have is when a piece is missing. When my boys were younger, I would build a set and put it on display. Then, they would get the set down and begin to play with it. One of them might have a creative idea that would take one of the big components from the first set I just built and move it elsewhere. Then they might find some miscellaneous Legos from somewhere else and just start attaching all these different things together. The new creation might be great, but when they want the original set back together, they would call me to fix it.

I'd tell them it doesn't work right because there are missing pieces. They wouldn't know where the pieces went. So, I'd spend a lot of time trying to find the missing piece! Usually, it wasn't a simple piece or a regular piece. It wasn't just a standard brick. It was unique, made specifically for a particular function. Until that piece is found, certain parts of the set will not function properly.

Sometimes, I wonder if that's how God feels about His church. He has the plan, and He knows how every piece fits into that plan. He is building His body - the church - and each one of us has a unique place. But what happens? That one unique piece, for one reason or another, begins to drift away. It is no longer attached to the church, and the church is not functioning as optimally as God designed. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we each have a place to fill, something to do, and that we are His masterpiece, His work of art. If we don't do our part, we are just stranded somewhere and not useful to the body of Christ.

You might say, "Well, God will find someone else to fill that role." We need to realize that we are vital to what God wants to do in His church. Without each of us doing our specific part, the church is not as strong as it needs to be. We are not only unique pieces. We are meant to be connected to Christ's body - the church.

We don't just belong to the invisible, universal church. We also belong to the local church. We are specific pieces necessary for everything to work the way God designed it to work. Paul gives us three images of the church in Ephesians 2:19-22, and each one says something important about where you fit.

1) You are a fellow citizen. You are not just a visitor. You hold full rights and responsibilities within God's kingdom. The church relies on its members actively participating and fulfilling their roles.

2) You are a member of God's household. This is family language. When someone is missing from the dinner table, the rest of the family feels it. There is a hole that nobody else can quite fill the same way. God builds His church the same way He builds a family. Each person is placed in the family of God on purpose.

3) You are part of a holy temple being fitted together. "Fitted together" sounds like Lego language to me. God's ongoing work in building a local church involves placing, connecting, and securing each piece, contributing to the overall strength and structure. You are not an accidental or leftover piece. Your presence is essential, and when you're not in your place, the church doesn't quite function the way He intends.

So, if you have drifted away from your church family, today is the day to come back. The church needs its missing piece, and that missing piece is YOU!

Reflection Question: Are you in the place God has designed for you, or have you drifted away from the local church?

Dear Heavenly Father, I sometimes forget I matter to what You're building. I convince myself that someone else can fill my spot. But Your Word says otherwise. You call me a citizen, family, a piece of what You're still putting together, meaning You're not finished with me. Today, show me where I belong. Give me the courage to stop sitting on the sidelines. I want to be connected to the body of Christ, right where You need me. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: You Belong (Ephesians 2:19-22): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/vzdhfww/10-you-belong-eph-2-19-22