The Community of Believers
Belonging & Interdependence
Scripture
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body. To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
Devotion
You are not meant to be a complete, self-sufficient unit. You are part of a body—and like a physical body, your health depends on connection to the whole. The hand cannot function alone. The eye cannot see alone. Each part needs the others. More than that, each part receives the Spirit's gifts for the sake of the whole, not for personal aggrandizement. This radical interdependence is both humbling and liberating. Humbling because you are not self-sufficient. Liberating because you do not have to be. Your gifts are meant to serve others, and others' gifts are meant to serve you. Community is not a bonus feature of Christianity; it is the way Christianity is designed to work.
Today’s Step
Identify your particular gifts. How are you using them for the common good? Where do you need to receive from the gifts of others?
Prayer
Lord, I confess that I have often tried to be a whole body by myself. Free me from that illusion. Help me to recognize my need for others, to receive their gifts with gratitude, and to offer my own gifts freely in service. Make me a healthy member of Your body.