All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
1 Corinthians 12:11-18 (NIV)
I recently started working out at a gym close to our house. It is not fun. I typically go into the gym and begin my hour of torture by getting on an elliptical. Even though the gym offers a television on each machine, I for some reason love watching other people pretending to enjoy the same activities I’m doing. I see all kinds of people: people who are trying to get back in shape and people who have been in shape their whole lives. People who are dripping in sweat, and people who walk at a snail’s pace on the treadmill for ten minutes and then go home. There is one particular kind of “worker-outer” that makes me laugh. It is the guy who comes and his workout consists of biceps, triceps and chest; biceps, triceps and chest; biceps, triceps and chest over and over. It’s usually the guy who has little tiny legs and a HUGE upper body. It makes me laugh because I wonder if that is even considered “working out.” Isn’t the point of working out to make your whole body healthy?
As I read 1 Corinthians 12:11-18, I’m reminded of how every part of our body needs to be nurtured (I’m talking about our church body of course). It burdens me that people always want to be the biceps, triceps and chest when Jesus’ whole message was essentially to be the hands and feet. Jesus was always ministering to people who needed Him. Whether He was by a well or outside the city gate, He was radically concerned with the needs of those around Him. The problem is that people generally are not drawn to be the hands and feet because that isn’t a very glamorous job.
Something that I think about often is the people who took time to pour into my life. They were godly men and women who were not concerned with recognition but were crazy about showing me Jesus. You see, when we decide to be the body, we start to see the world differently. It’s not about how you’re looking but rather who you’re helping.
As we go through this day, let’s remember not to focus on what makes us look good, but let’s go and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Questions:
1. Who is someone in your life that has poured into your relationship with
Christ without any thought of recognition?
2. How are you being the hands and feet of Jesus today?
Prayer: Thank You so much for giving me the grace to live another day for You, Lord. I pray that You would show me opportunities that I can be Your hands and feet today.
_______________________________________________Over the next 10 days, you will be receiving the devotionals that the pastors of Brookwood Church have prepared for ServeFest 2010. ServeFest is a community outreach that will take place on Saturday, November 20, 2010 in Greenville County, South Carolina.
The devotionals following the Beatitudes series will resume on November 24, 2010.
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