Wednesday, May 19

Psalm 16:1-2
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

For your prayer today, thank the Lord for the safety of his presence and the guidance of his word. Thank him for the many good things he has provided to you.

Read:
Ephesians 4:7, 11-12, 16
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it….

(v.11.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…

(v. 16) From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.


About six weeks ago I was carrying some luggage and tried to open a hotel room door handle with just the index finger on my right hand. Somehow, either my finger slipped or the handle snapped back in such a way that my finger was wrenched hard in a direction it was not meant to bend. I felt a sharp pain and knew I had done something bad to my finger. Within a few minutes my knuckle was swollen and I began to suspect I had probably sprained or torn a ligament of some kind. Over the next few days I was amazed at how many things were harder to do because just one of my fingers was out of whack. It was hard to get dressed, it was hard to tie my shoes, it was hard to open packages or bottles, and even at night it was hard to sleep.

Paul loved to use the analogy of the human body in his teaching about the church. In referring to the church as the “body of Christ,” Paul was saying more than just that the church is a large group of people. He as saying the church is a group of people that are uniquely called, gifted, and arranged so that they function in a coordinated and unified way – just as our bodies do.

He says, “…from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” This means that just as my body needs my finger and the ligaments that allow that finger to function properly – so also the church needs each person, uniquely gifted and placed, to be functioning as God intended for the body of Christ to be all that it can and should be. It also means that when even one part – no matter how small – is not functioning as God intended, the whole body suffers as a result.

What part of the body are you? Your personal and spiritual gifts might make you like the mouth (teacher); or the hands (one who serves); or legs (one who goes out into the world); or the heart (one who cares for others). But you do have a role in this body – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. God wants you to know that there are no insignificant members of his body. You matter to him and your service matters to his church!

Brian Coffey