Biblical Building Block #9 Care For One Another (I Corinthians 12:25) – PART 1

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a Bible Study Series taught at Fellowship Baptist Church, titled “Biblical Building Blocks for Strengthening Relationships.”

Biblical Building Block #9 Care For One Another (I Corinthians 12:25) – PART 1

I Corinthians 12:25, That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

The word “care” means to be anxious about or to take thought for. Just as our physical members (foot, hand, ear, eye, etc.) take care of one another, so should we for each member of Christ’s body. Dependency means we work together; we share the workload and we also share the pain and the pleasures. Every member of the body of Christ is equal and essential.

I. The Completion of the Body
God's plan for His church is that we be united (I Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 1:27). God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it. In our day, there are too many feet who want to be hands and too many ears who want to be eyes. When this happens, the body is fractured, and chaos is the result! Paul calls out any actual or potential boasting in the church by insisting that every single member of the body is just as important as any other. Never let one part of the body say to another, 'I don't need you!'

The Bible teaches that every member is important (I Corinthians 12:12-27). Paul imagined what it would be like if different parts of the body began to belittle the importance of other parts of the body. Can you imagine the hand saying to the foot, "Here foot, catch this baseball.” But then, when the hand drops the baseball, it bounces off the foot and rolls away. And the hand says to the foot, "You are worthless. You can't even catch a baseball. "Can you imagine the nose saying to the ear, "Boy, do you smell that barbecue on the grill? What a great smell!" But the ear says in response, "I don't smell anything." And the nose says to the ear, "You are worthless. You can't even smell." Can you imagine the different parts of the body carrying on that kind of conversation with each other? Of course not. The nose says to the ear, "It’s OK that you cannot smell, what’s important, is that you hear." The hand says to the foot, “It’s OK that you cannot catch a baseball, what’s important, is that you are able to move the body from one place to another.” The heart doesn't say to the liver, "You're not beating." Or the eye to the big toe, "You're not looking."

Every member needs every other member to be in their place and doing the assigned function. Together, we are a complete body. Individually, we are a small, but vital component of a very important organism, the body of Christ! When every member of the church does his or her part and submits to God in willingly doing what they are called to do, then the body of Christ will function in absolute harmony. The very same care should be shown to one member as is shown to another member. One member of the church is not more important than another member (not to God), and it should not be to us. There should be no favoritism or partiality shown to anyone. How does Jesus express this in Matthew 19:30? Matthew 19:30, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” God does this so “...there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”

Every Christian is important. A fourteenth-century Italian stained-glass artist was summoned to design and create a huge portrait for the window of a cathedral in Chartres, France, a place well known for its stained-glass work. He laid all of the pieces he was going to use out on the floor of the cathedral. They were beautiful to behold; most of them were large and colorful. Among these awesome pieces of glass was a small, clear piece about as big as your fingernail. As the stained-glass portrait was assembled, that little piece remained on the floor. Only the big colorful pieces of glass were used. On the day of the window’s completion, the tiny piece of clear glass was still lying on the ground. The entire city gathered to witness the unveiling of the brilliant and beautiful stained-glass portrait. The artist stood in front of the crowd, made his speech, and dramatically pulled down the cloth cover. The crowd gasped at the beauty of the colorful window glowing in the sunlight. After a few seconds, however, the crowd grew silent. They sensed that something was missing, that the portrait was unfinished. The great artist then walked over to where the little clear piece of glass lay, picked it up, and placed it in the portrait, right in the center of Jesus’ eye. As the sun hit that little piece, it gave off a dazzling sparkle. The magnificent stained glass window still draws visitors. The first thing they see is that sparkle in Jesus’ eye. As small as that piece of glass was, it was very important to the portrait. And no matter how insignificant a Christian may seem; he is important to the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12).

The body of Christ is also made up of believers who perform their unspectacular tasks without applause. These people are not the ones preaching the sermon or leading the Sunday School. Instead, they're volunteering to clean, plant flowers, serve in the nursery, or stack chairs after a special event. Their work is obscure as they organize so the church can operate smoothly at worship. They are valuable members of the body of Christ. They work behind the scenes, rather than being seen in the spotlight or getting praise.

Prayer, Father in Heaven thank You for saving me and putting me within Your Church, Your Body. May I fulfill the purpose You have called me to do and honor You in faithfully supporting every other believer that makes up Your Church. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Thank you for reading PART 1 of Biblical Building Block #9 of this series. Please visit this website tomorrow for PART 2 of Biblical Building Block #9 of this series.

If this post in any way, has blessed you,
please share this website and its articles with others:
www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com