by Merilea Bigham
Something was said during a service lately that caused me to think about the Body of Christ. A young man was saying that he thought that God’s best for us was perfect health. He went on to say that he knew that Paul had a thorn in the flesh, but do we compare ourselves to him?
My first thought was, no, definitely not. But then God began to cause me to think differently. I believe that it was God that showed me the Body of Christ. Yes, Paul had a great ministry to teach. That was his calling. But even he called himself the chiefest of sinners. Now I can relate to that. But the thing that I sensed was that the same Spirit of God that was in Paul is the Spirit that is in me and in you if you have been born of His Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 we read, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” NLT.
Our gift or calling, whatever it may be, is given to benefit the whole body. Paul goes on to say that the human body has many parts but make up one body, so also is Christ. We are all unique; but each has a place in the Body to function to benefit the Body. Thus, every member is important no matter what their calling is.
I used to wish I could sing beautifully, or play the piano. I even tried learning the guitar, but was not musically inclined. I thought that if I could do something like that, that I would be necessary to the church, but God was showing me how selfish that was. I would be taking glory from Him and He wasn’t sharing that. I needed to seek to serve God in the way He was calling me, therefore He would get all the glory and honor due Him.
Our calling, whatever it is, is given for the edification of the Body as a whole. It’s not our ministry. I refer back to 1 Corinthians 12:4-7. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. Therefore, every member is important for the Body to work as God planned. If we walk in the Spirit as He is in the Spirit; then we can serve in our calling and He gets all the glory and praise due to Him.
In Ephesians 4:4 it says, “For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” Verse 7 says, “However, he has given each of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.” NLT.
It doesn’t matter if we have perfect health or, like me, have many physical problems, it is God’s plan for us to learn His ways and to trust Him in all circumstances. Yet we have an eternal hope of a new body that will never die.
I want to be faithful to whatever God chooses for me as a vessel needing to be filled with His Spirit, in order to honor Him Who gave His all for me, that I might edify and encourage every member.
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