But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:18–20 NIV
If you believe in the Lord Jesus, you are a part of the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13-14 tells us that the Holy Spirit immersed each of us into the body of Christ. A body that is made up of many parts.
Paul compares the body of Christ to a human body. That body has many parts, each of them doing something different. But each of those parts is essential to the body’s overall health. It is in the diversity of parts, each part carrying out its proper function, and all working together in harmony, that the body is what it is supposed to be. And what is true of my physical body is just as true of the body of Christ.
What part do you have to play within the body of Christ? Paul tells us here that God has put you where he wants you to be. He has a purpose for you, a job for you to do within the body. Like a human body, some parts are more visible, and some seem more important. But even the parts that are not seen are essential. So it is with the body of Christ. Your role may be out front where it is seen by many. But, more likely, God has a place for you that is not so visible. But that does not make it unimportant.
None of us are called to sit quietly for an hour and then go our way for another week. Discover the place God has equipped you for in the body of Christ. And then be that body part to the best of your ability. And, as you do, you will find your own spiritual health, as well as that of the body as a whole, is growing.
