One Body, Many Parts

This past Wednesday I did the lesson for the youth since Nate was on his way to the Pastor's Conference.  The lesson's scripture was from Nehemiah 3.  To give you a little background, Jerusalem's walls and gates have been destroyed (Nehemiah 1) and in Nehemiah chapter 3, they are being rebuilt.  As I told the youth, if I had been reading this chapter on my own time I would have probably just skimmed over it due to all the hard-to-pronounce names and repetitiveness.  But with the help of the Essential Connection book and just digging a little deeper I was able to see the significance in this chapter.  Nehemiah could have tried to restore the entire wall himself, but it would be near impossible.  Instead, he recruited the help of several different people ranging anywhere from priests, rules, common people, and everyone in between.  This chapter shows the significance of people coming together for one purpose and what can be accomplished as a result.

Think of your many roles/positions that God has allowed you to be a part of.  Some of you belong to a family, a group of friends, a church, sports team, a club, a community, a school, your workplace, etc.  You may not see your role in these particular groups as something of importance, but you have your place.  These roles are important, if you chose to actually do something with them.  

Some of you belong to the body of believers, the body of Christ.  Here are some more verses to show just how important you are:

For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body-so also is Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  So the body is not one part but many.  If the foot should say, "Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body," in spite of this it still belongs to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But now God has placed the parts, each one of them, in the body just as He wanted.  And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?  Now there are many parts, yet one body.  The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" nor again the head to the feet, "I don't need you!"  On the contrary, all the more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation.  But our presentable parts have no need [of clothing]. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.  So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.  And God has placed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next, miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, managing, various kinds of languages.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in languages? Do all interpret?  But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

I don't take all of my roles as seriously as I should, but recognizing what roles I have is a step in the right direction.

I am a Christian.

I am a wife.

I am a "drug lady".

I am a pianist.

I am an assistant of youth.

I am a daughter.

I am a granddaughter.

I am a sister.

I am a neice.

I am a cousin.

I am a friend.

I am a coworker.

I am an employee.

I am a resident of Graceville.

I am a member of West Pittman Baptist Church.

I am a daughter-in-law.

I am a granddaughter-in-law.

I am a sister-in-law.

I am a neighbor.

Challenge: Identify the roles God has placed you in during this time in your life.  Realize the importance of each role.  

In Christ,

Katie Jo. Castaneda