“For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
1 Corinthians 12:14-26
Ronnie was a very good punter. In fact, he was the best punter the school had ever had. The coach often said, “He was born to punt!” Long field goals or short - Ronnie could make them all. Ronnie was talented; he had good athletic ability; he had a sharp mind - maybe too sharp. It began occurring to Ronnie that if he made such a great punter and had a talent for making that extra point - maybe the team was missing out on his great talent which should be properly directed toward making touchdowns instead of field goals.
As these thoughts began to demand a response, the coach noticed a lack of concentration in Ronnie’s kick practice. Then his performance at Friday night’s game wasn’t up to its usual level. He fumbled the ball, causing a turnover in the game.
How many “Ronnies” are there in the family of God? - men or women who carry out a responsibility well but because of pride get sidetracked and eventually end up “on the bench” - or worse yet, give up and quit the team? The church needs members who know who they are and where they are of best help in fulfilling the goal of the “team.” The truth is that we need one another for the mutual benefit and profit of all. Thank God for your role, and faithfully fulfill it to the praise of His glory.
Our business is not to do something for the church, but to do something with it.