Text: 1 Corinthians 12:7,15-21
7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…. 15Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
I need you because according to verse 7 of our text, there is a manifestation of the Spirit that you carry for the common good. In other words, God is showing up and showing through you in a way like no one else.
Most of the time, when we express our need for one another, it’s because there is an obvious “need.” We either want something that we don’t yet have, or we have something we really don’t want. But that is not the reason I need you. I need you because God designed me in Christ to need you. It was part of His workmanship.
Heaven is going to be a place where we are free from concern. But heaven is not here yet. And I need you for support through the unpleasant and troublesome areas of my life, too.
I need you because according to 1 Peter 4:10 there is an expression of God’s grace that He has uniquely equipped you with.
I need you this morning not just because I need something from you. I need you because I have been directed by the Lord by those same verses to give something to you. We are part of the body not just to be nourished but because we bring nourishment.
Our service to God is our service to one another. It is the love and support and care we give to each other. What determines the health of a ministry is the quality of the love that is flowing among the members of His body.
God delights in our service to one another, our love for one another. It pleases Him when we fervently love one another from the heart. Brotherly love puts a smile on his face. Let love of the brethren continue.
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