SUNDAY CHOICE – We are the body of Christ

“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”. Romans 12:5

Together, friends Melanie and Trevor have hiked miles of mountain
trails. Yet neither would be able to do so without the other. Melanie,
born with spina bifida, uses a wheelchair. Trevor lost his sight to
glaucoma. The duo realized they were one another’s perfect complement
for enjoying the Colorado wilderness: As he walks the trails, Trevor
carries Melanie on his back; meanwhile, she gives him verbal
directions. They describe themselves as a “dream team.”

Paul describes believers in Jesus—the body of Christ—as a similar kind
of “dream team.” He urged the Romans to recognize how their individual
giftings benefited the larger group. Just as our physical bodies are
made up of many parts, each with different functions, together we
“form one [spiritual] body” and our gifts are meant to be given in
service for the collective benefit of the church (Romans 12:5).
Whether in the form of giving, encouraging, or teaching, or any of the
other spiritual gifts, Paul instructs us to view ourselves and our
gifts as belonging to all the others (vv. 5–8).

Melanie and Trevor aren’t focused on what they lack, nor are they
prideful of what they do have in comparison to the other. Rather, they
cheerfully give of their “gifts” in service to the other, recognizing
how much they’re both bettered by their collaboration. May we too
freely combine the gifts God has given us with those of our fellow
members—for the sake of Christ.