For in fact the body is not one member but many.
1 Corinthians 12:14
A member of the church had had a kidney stone removed, and when I visited him in the hospital he showed me the stone in a little bottle. Upon seeing it, I winced in sympathy at the thought of the excruciating pain he must have suffered.
It is an interesting thing, that something so small can cause a whole body so much agony? But in a way, that’s what the apostle Paul alludes to in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one member suffers, every member suffers with it.” Throughout chapter 12, Paul used the metaphor of a body to describe Christians around the world. When Paul said, “But God composed the body ” (v 24), he was referring to the entire body of Christ; all Christians. We all have different characters, gifts and roles. But since we are all part of the same body, if one person hurts, we all hurt. When a fellow Christian faces persecution, grief or trials, we hurt as if we are experiencing that pain.
In the body of Christ, another person’s pain ignites our compassion and moves us towards action. We might pray, offer a word of encouragement, or do whatever it takes to aid the healing process. That’s how the body works together.
Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 12:14–26.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, please give peace to those who are persecuted or in pain. Your family is my family too, in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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