1 Corinthians 12:14

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Sunday, 14 December 2014

For in fact the body is not one member but many. 1 Corinthians 12:14

“For” in this verse serves two purposes. First, it reiterates what was said in verse 12, which was expanded on in verse 13. There it said, “For as the body is one and has many members.” And secondly, it prepares for a continued expansion on the thought through actual examples of real body parts claiming they are not a part of the body and what the result of such a claim entails.

In the church, like the human body, there are various gifts, ministries, and activities which make up the whole. Even though the body is animated by one soul which is indivisible, the body itself is made up of an immense number of parts. Some of the parts, the head for example, are made up of smaller parts – the eyes, ears, mouth, hair, etc. But even these are made up of smaller parts. The mouth for example has lips, a tongue, taste buds, etc. And yet these are made up of smaller and smaller parts. Everything is interconnected and yet it is a functioning whole intended to work for the same purposes.

In this unity there is diversity, and yet in the diversity there is harmony. Such is how it should be within the church among its many members.

Life application: Are you a mouth? Don’t boast over the tongue and taste buds because without them you wouldn’t be a mouth. Work in harmony with others for the purpose of glorifying the Lord.

Heavenly Father, the more I look at the structure of the church, the more perfectly I see that it all fits together as a whole. Each part is important and every person has value. Help me to remember this when I look at those around me in the congregation. I don’t ever want to lose sight that each is an individual, created in Your image and for Your glory. Help me to treat them with this thought in mind and to show them the respect that they deserve as You work to accomplish Your purposes through them. Amen.

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