1 CORINTHIANS 12:12

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

TO PONDER

Have you ever been away from your home church on a Sunday and decided to visit another church? It is a beautiful thing that it doesn’t matter where we are from, Christ unites us. We can visit a church community far away from home and still feel a part of it because we are from the one family. 

Maybe it wasn’t a church you went to, but a person you met where you experienced this sense of community. I have met strangers before, where as soon as we have discovered we are both Christians, there is an instant sense of connection. This connection goes much deeper than simply sharing the same interests or coming from the same backgrounds in life. As Christians we all share citizenship in God’s kingdom. We are his chosen people, a holy nation (see 1 Peter 2:9). 

Later in this passage, Paul tells us that together we are the body of Christ and each of us has a special purpose and part to play in it. (v27) Whatever our gifts are, they were designed by God, just for us! And using them is one way to let Jesus’ light shine through us into this dark world.

What gifts have you been given by God, and how will you use them today? 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, Thank you for my family of fellow Christians that stretches far and wide, and for connecting us so deeply regardless of where we come from. Help me to use my gifts to build up the body of Christ and shine Jesus’ light into this dark world. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Elysia McEwen, LifeWay Graphic Design and Communications