The RefineryBiblical Focus: The Body of Christ
Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
It is possible to read this whole year of devotionals as a private project: me and God, my transformation, my journey. But Scripture will not let us stay there. In Ephesians 4, transformation happens in the body.
Notice the context. God gives leaders to equip His people (vv. 11–12), so that the whole church grows to maturity. And the instrument of that growth is "speaking the truth in love." We grow more and more like Christ as believers speak truth into each other's lives, gently, honestly, and lovingly.
This is challenging for two reasons. First, many of us avoid speaking truth. We prefer peace to honesty, so we let each other drift. Second, many of us avoid hearing truth. We surround ourselves with people who agree with us and keep everyone else at a safe distance.
But you cannot see your own blind spots. That is why they are called blind spots. You need brothers and sisters who love you enough to tell you the truth, and you need the humility to receive it.
Isolated Christians stall. Transformation needs community: people who pray with you, confront you, encourage you, and forgive you. The church is not a gathering of transformed people. It is the place where God transforms people, together.
The Practice of Transformation
Ask God to show you one believer you can invite into deeper honesty. Reach out this week and say, "Would you be willing to tell me the truth about where I need to grow, and let me do the same for you?"
✦ Reflection ✦
Who in your life has permission to tell you the truth?
Prayer: Lord, I don't want to grow alone. Give me brothers and sisters who speak truth in love, and make me one of them. Amen.
You cannot see your own blind spots.
Help Choose Our 2027 Devotional
As this year of Wrapped in His Presence comes to a close, we're praying about where the Lord is leading us next, and I'd love your help deciding. There are three possible journeys for 2027:
- Refined: The Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2–3)
- Abiding Fruit: From Presence to Overflow (Galatians 5:22–23)
- Wounded to Carry: The Ministry of Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Please pray over them, then vote here for the one that stirs your spirit.