1 Corinthians 12
Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. – Vs 27 NLT
Unity. Diversity. Giving. Receiving. Caring. Sharing. Together.
The body of Christ. What an incredibly unique organism – made up of a host of individuals, but unified by our faith in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us. Gifted for service by the Holy Spirit, we are to minister to one another in a spirit of selfless service. "A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church" (Vs 7 NLT). Like the human body, where every single part has a function and a purpose, so each member of the body of Christ has a Spirit-given purpose. No one is more important than the other. No gift is more significant than the other. Each is needed and necessary. But how many of us know what our gift is? For those who do know, how many are actually using it for the benefit of the body of Christ?
We live in an individualized society where the emphasis is all on "me." The world exists for my benefit. Others are here to serve me. I have to look out for "number one." It's every man for himself. But Paul paints a completely different picture for us as believers. We are members of a body, an organism. We are interdependent, not independent. We are unique in many ways, including in our gifting, but it is for a purpose – the purpose of unity. I have something to bring to the body. So do you. Together we complement and complete one another. We are to be, like the Three Musketeers, one for all and all for one. We are not independent agents operating in a vacuum, but team members working toward a common goal and sharing a common purpose. There is a spirit of oneness that should permeate all we do. Paul puts it this way: "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad" (Vs 26 NLT). We are to grow together. We are to rejoice together. We are to suffer together. We are to celebrate together. We are to worship together. All for the common good. And all for the glory of God.
Father, thank You for placing in my in the body of Christ and equipping me with the gifts to serve. Thank You for all the other individuals who make up the body and who have gifts I don't have, but that I get to enjoy. What an incredible organism You have created. May we learn to live together in a spirit of unity and share our gifts willingly and regularly. So that Your name might be glorified here on earth. Amen