The Body of Christ

  

I have cared for a number of patients with disabilities of one kind or another. Some have had a stroke with inability to use an arm or a leg. Others have had orthopedic injuries or problems that limited their mobility. Others have lost their vision due to complications of diabetes or other medical problems.  In many if not most of these cases, a single event led to a problem in one particular area but the effects on the whole person were devastating.

 

As Christians, we are part of the Body of Christ. Jesus wants His Body to be functioning, to be doing His work and carrying His message to the world. For His Body to function as it should, all the parts of the Body should be functioning well. We have a responsibility to support the leaders in our church and our fellow Christians. We are advised to “Carry each other’s burdens” (Gal 6:2). At the same time, we should realize that we are important, that if we are not fulfilling our role in the Body, the whole Body suffers. This is true even if we feel that the contribution we make is small. As Paul writes, “God has combined the 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” (1 Cor 12:24-26).

 

We’ll talk more about this in a future post.

 

Spend some time in prayer asking God if there is anything that He wants you to do or change to better serve His Body.