1 Corinthians 12 (The Comparisson Game Part 2)

I love the many metaphors in the Bible: water is truth and knowledge, a tree is used to describe Jesus and also to describe us when we're planted by the stream (water), as well as the many metaphors referencing light, the rock, storms, fruit, etc.

Notice what is true here: they are all things in nature!  I love that.  God didn't create a metaphor with the telegraph, since that lovely invention has come and gone; instead, He uses His own creation, which He know will outlast all of man's inventions.

So it is with today's metaphor: the human body.

The human body represents all Christians everywhere, all Christians in your church, all Christians in your family or on your street.  No matter which group of Christians you observe, this metaphor works for them all:  we are one body (through the Holy Spirit) with many different and equally important parts.

 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 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. 

This reminds us that we do not need other labels to define us -- our race, our gender, our political position -- but rather, the only label we need is Christ.  We used to independently call our own shots, but now we belong to something even greater than ourselves.  As I constantly remind myself: it's not about ME.  It's about HIM.

But, as I shared yesterday, in our humanness, we often think it would be better if we were given a different gift or task...

 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. 

All the parts are important!   But we don't always see that, so let's extend this metaphor a bit...  Let's say that I am an ear.  I'm kind of weird looking, not very large, often hidden by hair and hats.  So, I say to myself how I wish I could be more like the eyes, who are so pretty and expressive and get to wear certain make-up that makes them POP!  And I also wish I were like the hands because they get to touch everything and feel things that I will never get to feel.  Or the tongue...yes, he's kind of slimy and a little weird, but he gets to taste everything and be such an important part of speech.  Now THAT'S important.  But....imagine not being able to hear the beautiful music of symphonies and favorite bands, not being able to hear the birds chirp on a sunny, spring morning, and not being able to hear the giggles of babies and even the sorrowful wailing of your dear friend who's just lost his daughter.


Every single gift and task is important.  Without any one part, the body would be impaired!  So it is in the body of Christ.


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.

We are all connected, and we all matter.  Every single one of us.  Yet, by being part of a greater whole, the body, our significance is also kept from being blown out of proportion.  Yes, we are important, but we are not completely indispensable.  God will succeed in His plans with or without us!  We can still function without our hearing, can we not?  And having one enormous ear wouldn't be better, but would make us more into a monster!  Yes, we do need to stay in-check, don't we?

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 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? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Only when we can accept our "part" to be our part, can we flourish!  And let's not focus on the lesser gifts...like having voluminous hair and perfectly pouty lips.  Instead, let's focus on the greater gifts, the necessary things.  Is a good stomach not more important than good facial structure? :) 


And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Tomorrow, we will dive in to what's the Most Important of All....

1 Corinthians 12 (The Comparisson Game Part 1)

Moment of truth here: lately, I've been really struggling with comparing myself to others.  I've gotten very talented at it, too.  I can pick out the slightest flaw in myself and run wild with it; likewise,  I can also squeeze the tiniest imperfection in someone else and make myself feel like a queen because of it.  This is not a flattering quality, I know.  And I don't know quite when it crept it.  Wait, actually I do.  It began in early May, when I was "too busy" to have my morning quiet time with God. It's amazing how my perspective gets skewed so quickly.   And so, here I return...I'm sorry, Lord.  I have placed You on the back-burner for the last month.  But I know that it's when we wander away that we remember how much we need You, Lord.  So, here I am again.  I'm glad to be back with You.

One of the areas that I have been comparing myself is in the abilities or gifts God has given me.  I wonder why I can't be more like _____, who seems to be succeeding in everything she does for the Lord.  Then I see _____ and wonder why I can't have as many talents as he has.  And then there's the worst one of all:  I see _____ and think to myself I sure am glad that I am doing better than them.  How prideful.  How ugly.  How incredibly sad.  I need to stop comparing!  Comparing is pointless, because someone always comes out on the bottom.  And that's not where God has put any of us! 

Apparently, some of the people during Paul's time struggled with the same comparison problem when it came to spiritual gifts. 

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.   I'm sure they were all complaining about what they wish they could do for God that they saw their buddy getting to do, so Paul reminded them that there are many different kinds of working and doing...and they are all okay!  Differences are not always a negative thing.  Why is it that we always think we all need to be the SAME as everybody else?


⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  That's the point, right there.  When I can remember for one moment that it's NOT ALL ABOUT ME, then I remember that I'm part of a bigger plan than I can even understand.  Who knows why, but God has chosen me, and He's chosen you, to participate with Him as He carries out His plan for everyone's common good.  We are all one puzzle piece in the enormous masterpiece of humanity that God is working to put together as He has planned all along.


I like how The Message summarizes the next part:
"God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:
   wise counsel
   clear understanding
   simple trust
   healing the sick
   miraculous acts
   proclamation
   distinguishing between spirits
   tongues
   interpretation of tongues.
   All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when."

Did you see that last line?  God decides who gets what, and when they get it.  That's not to say that we can't ask for gifts -- after all, He is the ultimate gift-giver!  There is one item on that list that I have prayed for for the past two years, and recently, two friends of mine, at different times, told me that I have that gift!  They didn't know I'd been praying for it, and I couldn't see it in myself.  I will tell you that I do not have the gift of tongues though! :)  Maybe except for a tongue that never seems to know when to stop sometimes!

So, there we have it.  We have what God intends us to have for right now.  The questions is can I trust that what He has given me is good and perfect for me?  Can I thank Him for the gifts He has entrusted to me, and also thank Him for the gifts He has entrusted to others?  And finally, can choose to stop comparing what I have and what I wish I had and rest in the fact that God knows what He's doing in me right now?

Tomorrow, we'll look at the importance of ALL gifts.  But for now, I am just focusing on trusting Him and thanking Him for even getting to play a part in His big picture plan.  Not only did He save me, but He also blesses me with gifts...and He does the same for you.