1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 24-27
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. But God has combined members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Devotion
As a MEMBER of the church, we each have a unique gifting and role. The church thrives when we all live and serve one another according to our gifting in unity under the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the church struggles when too many sit on the sidelines and consume rather than contribute to the health of the Body. We are all valuable and essential as members of the church.
In the above text, Paul is using a comparison to the human body. As one body has many members performing different functions, so the members of the church need to perform different functions. There are many members in the universal church worldwide. Some of them we don’t ever see. Some of the most important members in churches where I have served have been people the church knew nothing about. They were quiet people who prayed and who exercised their gift of faith. God gives gifts to the Body as it pleases Him. These gifts are in the church so that the Body can function effectively.
The Big Question
In what ways is the church like the human body? How has God uniquely gifted or shaped you? What role do you play in the local church? How are you using your gifting to serve others? Where are you serving and giving in the church?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.