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1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one but has many parts; and all the parts of the body, though many, constitute one body; so it is with the Messiah. 13 For it was by one Spirit that we were all immersed into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free; and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.14 For indeed the body is not one part but many. 15 If the foot says, “I’m not a hand, so I’m not part of the body,” that doesn’t make it stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I’m not an eye, so I’m not part of the body,” that doesn’t make it stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If it were all hearing, how could it smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged each of the parts in the body exactly as he wanted them. 19 Now if they were all just one part, where would the body be? 20 But as it is, there are indeed many parts, yet just one body. 21 So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you”; or the head to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be less important turn out to be all the more necessary; 23 and upon body parts which we consider less dignified we bestow greater dignity; and the parts that aren’t attractive are the ones we make as attractive as we can, 24 while our attractive parts have no need for such treatment. Indeed, God has put the body together in such a way that he gives greater dignity to the parts that lack it, 25 So that there will be no disagreements within the body, but rather all the parts will be equally concerned for all the others.
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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. [1 Corinthians 12:20-22 (NIV)]
I work on an assembly line making car mirrors. When building my designated part at my station, I sometimes get frustrated at how insignificant my role seems. But then I remind myself that if I don’t do my job right and time my work well with the people on either side of me, then the whole process can fail. I also have to acknowledge that mirrors serve an important purpose for drivers.
In our Christian service, we may also devalue our role. But, for example, helping people feel welcome in church can influence them for God in ways we may never fully understand. God can express love and care in myriad ways, but we are God’s hands and feet in the world. One of the privileges of being members of the body of Christ is ministering to one another and to those outside the church. Though we may not see the end results of our small tasks, God sees how our small part in the body of Christ helps further the gospel in the lives of those around us and in the world.
The Author: Keith Osmun (Ohio, USA)
Thought for the Day: God can help me use every skill I have to serve others.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for allowing us to be part of such a diverse body and empowering us to serve. Amen.
Prayer focus: THOSE WHO WORK ON ASSEMBLY LINES
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