| “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (1 Corinthians 12:14-16). |
| Perhaps you have heard from the Bible that believers in the New Testament now form what is called the church, or the assembly. This did not exist in the Old Testament, but was formed on the day of Pentecost, as we read in Acts 2. But those who form the church are also called the body of Christ. He is the Head of the body, and He is up in heaven, while we are the body here on earth. |
| We can understand how a body works, for we all have bodies. They enable us to walk, to do things with our hands, to see, to speak, to smell, and to hear. Our bodies also do many things for us that we do not see. Our heart pumps blood, our lungs breathe for us, our stomach and bowels digest food, and our kidneys get rid of waste. But all this goes on inside us, where we cannot see it. |
| All these parts of our body are important, and so is every part of the body of Christ. In our verses today, it supposes that perhaps the foot might not feel very important, because it is not the hand. Or the ear might wish it were the eye. This happens in the body of Christ too, for some people wish they had something that others have. One believer may be a good preacher, and others may wish they could preach like him. But someone else may have more money and seem to be able to do more for the Lord by giving. We might wish for more money too. |
| But the Lord knows how to put His body together, and He knows what each one must do. Just as our human body has some parts that are hidden, so the body of Christ has those who do things privately — things that everyone does not know about. Yet they are very important. So let us not think that we are any less important than some others, for every part of the body is necessary. Let us be content to do what the Lord has fitted us for. |
