Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

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Read

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (NRSV)

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

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Reflect

During my last two years of high school, I had the wonderful opportunity of being in a group of young people called Bridge Builders. This group is an arm of Bridges USA in Memphis, Tennessee. A theme throughout the (secular) program was unity, stressing that we were all uniquely important.

Bridge Builders is a leadership program that works to unite people from every walk of life. We went through various challenges with obstacles during the first year’s summer camp. During the second summer we focused more on building each individual. The following quote from my Bridge Builders experience comes to mind when I think about the scripture above: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

God loves all of us. Sometimes others try to put up walls between different groups of people or make themselves seem better than others, but that’s not what this epistle is talking about. We are all a part of the body of Christ and as such should be united in our work for God’s kingdom.

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Pray

God, we find ourselves so connected to one another in today’s world, yet so lonely. We can’t get through the struggle of life alone. We need you when often we think we have it all together. I pray for unity and world peace, the homeless and the prejudiced. Be with us now and always. Amen.

Go with God.