Reading through the Bible-The whole body of Christ

Romans 12:3-5, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

Through Jesus, God has given us undeserved mercy and a saving grace that brings with it the free gift of spending eternity in His presence. In addition, God has placed each one of us individually within the body of Christ, which is the church. Each of us having received a measure of grace and a unique blending of spiritual gifts, we are prepared by Christ to perform different functions within the church body. In our secular world today we can strive for recognition and success and unfortunately that attitude and type of thinking can spill over into the church. This happens when we seek out the ministry positions we think will benefit us the most or bring us the most recognition and favor. However, we must remember that is not the way Jesus see's things and that is not what Jesus had in mind when He placed us in the body. Jesus created each of us unique with a different blend of spiritual gifts meant to work together as a cohesive whole. These gifts were given to us in order the help those in need, build up the body of Christ and spread the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus alone, through faith alone.

In His wisdom Jesus has created a unified whole, one body serving together for the glory of God, the edification of believers and the spread of the Gospel. We are to be placed into the body of Christ, where He has designed us to be, not where we desire ourselves to be. As followers of Christ united into one body to serve the Lord, we are to put away arrogance and pride. We are to "think soberly" which means to exercise sound judgment for the good of all, without regard for personal gain. In other words, we are to put others ahead of ourselves. Knowing that individually we are really part of a greater whole, which must work together in faith to the glory of Christ who strengthens us. Moreover, we must remember, unlike the secular world, there is no competition or comparison. We must all answer God as to what we did with the spiritual gifts, time, talents and resources He gave us individually. God is not going to look at how we did compared to someone else. All positions of ministry are meant by Jesus as positions of service, to serve others with concern for their physical and spiritual well being. Christian ministry is meant for us in humility, to serve those in need and thereby show the love of Christ for all to see. And we do so by putting the needs and concerns, and most importantly the glory of God, ahead of ourselves!
Praise God!