Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. —Romans 12:4-5.
Three key realities of our discipleship are belonging, usefulness, and connectedness. Each of us belongs! We belong to God. We belong to Jesus. We belong to Jesus’ body, the Church. We belong to each other as members of Jesus’ body. The Holy Spirit not only cleansed us when we were given new birth in Jesus’ family (John 3:6-7; 1 Corinthians 6:11), but the Spirit also gifted us (Ephesians 4:7; 1 Peter 4:10) and connected us with everyone else in Jesus’ body! We each have a place and a purpose for the Church to function as Jesus’ bodily presence in our world today. We each have something to bring to the other believers who make us Jesus’ body, the Church. Each of us belongs! Each of us is needed! Each of us has an important role to play with significant things to do! Each of us is connected to each other. If one part suffers, we all suffer. If one person is blessed, we all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:26). So, dear friend of Jesus, rather than envying someone else’s gift or belittling someone we feel has a lesser gift, or rejecting someone who does not have a specific gift, let’s rejoice in each other, support each other, and do our part in helping the world see Jesus!