The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.

The Apostle Paul is using the human body to illustrate the interdependence of the Body of Christ, the Lord’s church. He’s saying that we all have our special gifts and we all have something to offer of God’s love. To function properly and effectively for Christ, we must see that the Body of Christ needs each other. If one individual hurts, it means we all hurt.

We are one, and in our oneness, Jesus wants us to see how we can support and appreciate one another. It’s only as we come together and blend our gifts for God’s glory that we’ll be able to accurately represent our Lord Jesus. This means that the Body of Christ needs to be spending enough time together in worship celebrations and small groups in order to be knit together in love and grow in being devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.

This scripture is challenging me to grow further in cultivating a culture of relationship, discipleship and accountability within the church family I pastor. We are so easily engrossed and engaged in our own separate lives. We need each other for personal spiritual growth, for support, encouragement and accountability.

I meet with people on a regular basis, but I know God is calling me to inspire my church family to work on getting together more often for fellowship, encouragement and discipleship. It is so easy in our culture of busyness to fall out of the habit of going to church and being involved in each other’s lives. We need to make a dedicated effort to avoid the kind of isolation and busyness that prevents us from being an effective part of the Body of Christ.

Father God, thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit that constantly draws us to You and to fellowship with Your people. Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit today and help me to encourage Your people to greater depths of discipleship and spiritual growth in You. I set my heart to be with Your people and to disciple as many as I possibly can.