1 Corinthians 12:22
Topic : 1 CorinthiansEvery Part Necessary
From an experience of her childhood, Mrs. Floyd Crook recalls, “I came home from school one day crying because I had been given only a small part in the children’s program, while my playmate got the leading role. After drying my tears, my mother took off her watch and put it in my hand. “What do you see?” she asked. “A gold case, a face, and two hands.” I replied. Opening the back, she repeated the question. I told her I saw many tiny wheels. “This watch would be useless,” she said, “without every part—even the ones you can hardly see.”
Sniffles
On the Dinah Shore show, impressionists Rich Little, who had come up with a case of the sniffles, noted: “When I get a cold, everyone gets a cold—James Mason, Jimmy Stewart, Raymond Burr, Tony Curtis.”
Leper Colony
A visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. At noon a gong sounded for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. All at once peals of laughter filled the air. Two young men, one riding on the other’s back, were pretending to be a horse and a rider and were having loads of fun. As the visitor watched, he saw that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man on his back was lame. The one who could not see used his feet; the one who could not walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other, and they found great joy in doing it.
Imagine a church like that—each member using his or her strength to make up for another’s weakness. That’s what should be happening in every congregation of believers. Paul likened spiritual gifts to various parts of the human body. Eyes see. Ears hear. Hands work. Feet move the body forward. All are essential. And when each fulfills its function, the whole body benefits. All of us have weaknesses, but we also have strengths. God’s Spirit has gifted each of us for the good of the church. We need each other. In the church, there are no nobodies. - D.J.D.
