From the Upper Room

The January 3 Upper Room reading was so inspirational to me I have to pass it on to those of you who may not read it.

1 Corinthians 12: 25-26

"All the body's different parts have the same concern for one another. If one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness."

What an apt picture the apostle Paul gave us when he described believers as being the parts of Christ's body! As with a human body, each of us has our own unique part to play. No one else can contribute what God has planned for you or me within Christ's own much loved and valued body. Lately, I've been needing to relearn this. In our church several gifted people younger than I make a fine contribution to the church's ministry. As I watch and listen, seeing the eager response people give them, my mind is filled with If-only-I-could-do-that thoughts. It's easy to become resentful when instead I could be happy because God is at work through these other members of our common body. After all, when an athlete wins a race, his whole body jumps for joy. You never see an arm or a leg resentfully refusing to share in the celebration.
So it's important for me to celebrate because God's work is being done so well by other parts of Christ's body. At the same time, it's important for me to identify my own unique place and responsibility in the body and to experience the pleasure of fitting in with everyone else as, unite, we respond to Christ, our head.
As competitive as I am, this really struck a nerve for me! May God proudly bless each one of our family who serves to help bring others to or keep others close to our Christ!
IHS,
Roger