All God's Creatures

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5 NIV

So this verse makes me think of this song called All God's Creatures Got A Place in the Choir - its one I have fun doing with my students.


http://youtu.be/-iP27eatYxE

I suppose one never realizes how important their big toe is until you stub it and it hurts. Really our bodies are a lot like our cars. We just expect them to work. We've been down one car for the past several weeks. You don't realize how dependent you are on that 2nd car until suddenly you don't have it. Then you are thinking about how you are going to do the things you've committed to do if the first car is not available. In our family, my husband is out of town most of the week for his job. Which made it really impossible to share one car. Thankfully my mom came up and stayed with us and I was able to use her car. I am glad to say I brought the 2nd car home today and the bill was considerably less than the first shop had estimated. So glad I got a second opinion. So it now has a new thermostat, a new battery and a new radiator. I had no trouble on the drive home but I am supposed to call the shop this afternoon after I drive to and from my music lessons to let them know how it did. Anyway - thank you to those of you who have been following and praying. 

So we each have one body and it is made up of many parts. If one part or system is not working it affects all the others. Sometimes we don't realize the stress or strain that we are putting on various parts because other parts are not functioning as it should. 

In the church or the body of Christ we are made up of many parts. Some serve very specialized functions and others more general. If everyone is doing their part we feel great and can get a lot done for the kingdom. If there are some of us who are not healthy and functioning in our gifts and callings the others around them have to pick up the slack. Which if not corrected quickly can lead to burnout. 

How do you fit into the body of Christ in your local church? 

We need each other and we need to encourage and build one another up. Notice what others are doing and thank them. I always say no one notices the sound man till there is feed back or some tech problem in the service. No one notices the janitor until the toilet stops up. We should notice those who are serving, especially those who work behind the scenes.