Maybe I am the Coccyx (tailbone), or the Plica semilunaris (Third Eyelid) or, a cuboid (bone in the foot).  I think some of you are a cuticle, maybe a kidney, how about an eye?

Okay, before you guys think I have gone bonkers, let me explain. I recently read 1 Corinthians 12. I was captivated by the following verses (It is long, but I think the whole thing is important to read):

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.¹⁶ 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 stop being part of the body.¹⁷ 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? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

 How cool is that illustration?  There is so much to unpack out of that– There is a couple of points that really captivated me.

• Once we accept Christ, we become part of HIS Body. We are the Body of Christ (verse 12 &27)
• We, as Christians, can’t do anything outside of the body. (verse 15)
• We are all important, we all serve a purpose, even if we are just a single body hair. (Verse 17).
• Those who are “the least” will be treated with Special Honor (verse 22)
• Guess what? We have to work together ( verse 21)
• We have to be concerned for each other-the highest top hair has to worry about the toenail (verse 25).
• We suffer together, we rejoice together (verse 26)

Out of those points, there are two main things I struggle with:

1. Speaking for myself, I know that when I first became a Christian, I was a little jealous of certain “body parts”. I thought it would be cool to be a missionary in a forsaken region of the world. I wanted to be an eye, without realizing the amount of work, wisdom, and danger (you hear about a person losing an eye more than a person losing their tailbone). There is a reason God chose them to be an eye. Besides, their success is our success too—as long as we are working together. The missionaries wouldn’t be able to go places if it wasn’t for the prayer and tithes we offered towards that cause.
2. The second thing that I struggled with is how easy is it to forget about the “lesser” or the farther away body parts. I think I speak for myself and many Christians in a developed country. It is very easy to go about our busy days, weeks, months without a thought for the Christians in developing or war-torn countries.   Here is a list of the Top 50 Most Dangerous Countries for Christians  –We could start with a simple prayer or (if you have the ability to) giving to an organization that helps them.

How about you?

• What did you interpret from the verses?
• What main verse/points captivate you?
• What things do you struggle with?

The ending verses of that Passage are also full of wisdom:

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[b]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

 What is your Spiritual gift?

Love

Milo

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