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Every Joint Supplies
I ran across this piece some months ago, and wish to pass it along to each of you. The author is unknown to me or I would give credit where credit is due. Enjoy and profit. As the story goes, a congregation built a new church building, and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure--except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became angry and jealous. "If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit!" So the nail then released its hold, slid down the roof, and fell in the mud.
That night it rained and rained. Soon, the shingle that had no nail blew away, and the roof began to leak. The water streaked the walls and the beautiful murals. The plaster began to fall, the carpet was stained, and the pulpit Bible was ruined by water. All this because a little nail decided to quit!
But what of the nail? While holding the shingle, it was obscure but it was also useful. Buried in the mud it was just as obscure, but now it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!
THE MORAL OF THE STORY-- every member is important to the church! Like the nail, you may feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. Make sure you’re a help and not a hindrance to the future spiritual and numerical growth in this body. Remember:
We Are Members of the Same Body (1 Cor.12:12-27). Please never forget, as members of the body of Christ, we belong to each other and we need each other. Each member of the body has a function to perform so that the body as a whole will grow and remain healthy. Each part is needed, and no one part should think it’s more important than any other part. Remember, a spiritually healthy church is one in which the various members know their God-given gifts and use them to serve and edify others in that local body.
We Are Soldiers in the Same Army (Eph.6:10-18). The church is an army to fight against Satan, the hosts of darkness, and sin; not to fight each other. And please understand that in the Lord’s army each individual soldier (Christian) is expected to wage war and fight. However, our weapons must never be carnal, or our struggle will be useless and eventually deadly. And just as there are leaders in the physical army, there are to be leaders (shepherds, overseers) in the spiritual army. Only when the soldiers are in their proper place and obeying divinely appointed orders, can an army expect to withstand the attacks of the enemy. What I’m saying is good military strategy depends on teamwork. We need at times to ask God to help us be “big people” and return good for evil, so that what is weak may be healed rather than driven further to despair (Heb.12:13). The time is too short, the price is too high. Please remember, spiritual enemies can only be defeated by spiritual means. “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph.6:13).
—Paul White
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