Members
Of The Body
Indeed,
the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say,
“Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it
any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an
eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of
the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the
whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God
arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a
single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet
one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,’ Nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On
the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with
greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater
respect; whereas our more respectable member do not need this. But God has so
arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there
may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care
for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one
member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now
you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:14-27
Whenever
your muscles in one area do not do what they are intended to do, another set of
muscles picks up. Unfortunately that is where pain comes in. Exercise is what
is sometimes called for.
In a
way, the problem depicts what happens in the body of Christ. God has given each
believer gifts that are to be exercised for the common good of the church. But
when some do not pull their weight, others far less gifted in those areas must
pitch in. Although the body of Christ continues to function, it is not
functioning at its best. There are some overworked Christians around!
God
wants us to use our spiritual gifts to benefit others in the church. When we
work together, we keep the body strong. What has God gifted you to do so that
you can help relieve the strain the church is
suffering?
Teamwork divides the effort
and
multiplies the effect.
Our Daily Bread – October 7, 2008