There Is No One Like You

Now 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… The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you!

1 Corinthians 12:15, 21

Every human face is made up of the same basic components — a pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth, two cheeks, a chin, a forehead, all held in by a pair of ears. Yet no two faces in the world are exactly alike. In the same way, no two Christians have exactly the same pattern of spiritual gifts. God gave you your face because it is exactly right for the expression of his life where you are. Likewise he gives you the precise combination of gifts you possess because that combination is exactly what is needed for the Lord's ministry. Be open to His leading, and He will show you where and how He wants you to use your gifts.

This completely eliminates all competition within the body of Christ! No Christian needs to be the rival of any other; there is a place for all in the body, and no one can take another Christian's place. Paul goes on to say as much in 1 Corinthians 12. There are two attitudes which are completely eliminated by the existence of spiritual gifts. One is self-depreciation: Now 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. This completely destroys the argument of the Christian who says, There's nothing I can do; others have gifts and abilities but since I can't do what they do, I must not be of much use in the church. Paul's conclusion to this line of argument is: But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be (verse 18).

On the other hand, there is no room for arrogance or self-sufficiency, either: The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you! No member of the body has the right to look down on the ministry of another Christian. We desperately need each other in the body of Christ. No Christian can do the task alone. We are members one of another, and it is time we took these words seriously and began to act like one harmonious body.

Oh Lord, thank you for your perfect plan of using each of us in the church according to our gifts and your circumstances.