Indispensable in God’s Eyes
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
12 The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. 13 Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit. 14 Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts. 15 Suppose a foot says, “I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body? 16 Or suppose an ear says, “I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body? 17 If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. 18 But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best. 19 A body isn't really a body, unless there is more than one part. 20 It takes many parts to make a single body. 21 That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it doesn't need the feet. 22 In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. 23 We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, 24 but we don't have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. 25 He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. 26 If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. 27 Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body. 28 First, God chose some people to be apostles and prophets and teachers for the church. But he also chose some to work miracles or heal the sick or help others or be leaders or speak different kinds of languages. 29 Not everyone is an apostle. Not everyone is a prophet. Not everyone is a teacher. Not everyone can work miracles. 30 Not everyone can heal the sick. Not everyone can speak different kinds of languages. Not everyone can tell what these languages mean. 31 I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Memory Verse
1 Corinthians 12:22
22 In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest.
God loves you. He made you in his image. He formed you before you were born. He sent his Son to die and pay for your sins, and to open a way for you to live with him forever. Right now, he is preparing a place for you to live with him, just like he promised.
God loves you because you are his; you can’t make him love you more or love you less. You don’t have to be good or bad, or rich or poor. Your skin color or the country you live in doesn’t matter to God.
God says we all belong. Our Bible reading says that we as a church family form a body, and every part of the body is in its place for a reason (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). You might be an ear on the body, but the ear needs for the body to also have feet, a heart, and elbows. If one part is missing, the body is incomplete.
That means we are indispensable; the body of Christ “cannot get along without” each of us. The body of Christ needs you.
This means the church is not supposed to just be old people, or just young people. It is not just for people who all look the same. The church is for everyone, and it is especially for the people that we might think are less important.
In fact, the weaker parts of the body are the most important. That means our bodies are not complete if we do not include people the world sees as weak, people that maybe can’t do some of the things that you can. And if you have trouble feeling like you belong, maybe our Bible reading will remind you that God says something very important about those of us who are weak. He says we are indispensable. How can you make someone who is different from you feel indispensable today?
Prayer
Dear Father, you love me, and you have called me to love you. I know one of the ways I can love you is to love the people you have created, especially the ones that don’t always feel like they are indispensable. Can you help me see people the way you see them? Lord, help me to accept your love and to treat the parts of the body that are weaker as indispensable to your church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.Related Resources
Dan Vander Plaats
Dan Vander Plaats is the Director of Advancement, Marketing, and Communications at Elim Christian Services, a global, Christian disability ministry based in Crestwood, Illinois. Dan serves on the advisory committee for a bi-denominational Disability Concerns committee. In 2009, he developed “The 5 Stages: Changing Attitudes” to help churches and individuals assess and change their attitudes toward people with disabilities, and he’s the author of Changing Attitudes about Disability. He is married to Denise (Hiemstra) and is father to Ben and Emma.