Sunday, October 18, 2009

You are a Part, Be a Part.

Many of you know, some don't, that I am on the youth worship team. This is NOT because I am young:) For quite a few years I played the bass, but this year I am singing and there is another bass player. Our leader and his wife were away last week and so I was the "leader". For the entire rest of the team, this is their first year and so we are about 1-1/2 months into us being a team.

The group did fine, but it is certainly not even close to the same when the leader is not there. But, it is also not the same when any other member is not there. Each one plays a different part and makes the sound more full.

I can't help but thinking the same of every church body. I know there are people who say to themselves, or to their spouses, I/we are not that important to the church, and they won't miss us today, so let's stay home. Have you ever made chocolate chip cookies and left out that little, tiny, insignificant amount of salt? Have you ever doubled, or even tripled, that little tiny amount of salt. Every ingredient in the recipe is key and every part of the body is key.

In 1 Cor. 12 Paul talks about what each part of the body does and doesn't do. Every part is different and every part is needed. This week at PG one of our guys had to have his appendix removed. Well that is certainly something that no one needs. Really? Why do you suppose it is there if we don't need it? Did God just want to add extra weight for us to carry around? I don't think so. And just because it is not obvious what the purpose of each part is to us, does not mean it is not useful.

When that small, insignificant appendix is hurting, everything else in the body is also hurting. In fact, everything else is quickly subjective to its needs and concerns. This full grown man is not able to function normally for more than a week or 2 because of this little tiny part being "upset" in his body.

We must each one do our own part, the part God gave us to do, we must try to do the best job we can at that part and we must try to keep ourselves healthy so we can perform at the highest level God allows so the entire body is able to function at its highest level. Not showing up is not an option for any physical body part and it shouldn't be an option for any spiritual body part either.

Be all that God wants and has equipped you to be, being the part He has made you to be.

2 comments:

bean said...

as soon as all the tiny airways in my children's bodies start working properly, i'll be back! :)

Chuck Weinberg said...

We'll be happy to have you back and this is not intended to have anyone give me a role call, or make anyone feel guilty as much as to remind us all that each one of us plays a vital part.
The question is not so much are you there every week as much as is your heart's desire to be there every week.