A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

1 Corinthians 12:15, 18, “If the foot shall say, ‘Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? . . . But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it has pleased Him.”  A flight from Washington D.C. was uneventful until landing in Indianapolis.  The plane was taxiing to the terminal but stopped in the middle of the runway.  Many of the passengers were beginning to fidget in their seats as the engines idled.  Several minutes later, the pilot made an announcement over the intercom that defused the tension: “Your attention please, your attention please.  This is your pilot speaking.  Before I began working for this airline, I flew multi-million-dollar fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force, having graduated at the top of my class at the Air Force Academy.  This evening, I flew this multi-million-dollar commercial jet aircraft from Washington D.C., at night, during a storm, and found the airport in Indianapolis, Indiana on my first try.  However, after landing, I have to wait until a guy with a couple of 99-cent flashlights shows me how to park it.”  In our Scripture lesson today, the apostle Paul underscores a salient point in the kingdom of God—each of us is vitally important.  No one’s position in the kingdom is inconsequential.  In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul illustrates how believers collectively comprise the Body of Christ.  Just as Jesus was the incarnation of God in this earth, even so the universal Church is the incarnation of Christ in the earth.  1 John 4:17 reminds us that “as He is, so are we in the world.”  But we all have our different roles to fulfill in the collective Body of Christ.  Each role is significant.  No one is more important than the other.  In our text today, Paul says that just because one’s foot is not as visible and active as one’s hand, does not negate the importance of the foot.  Simply put, you matter, regardless of where your place of service is.  The guy with the 99-cent flashlight is just as important as the pilot.  By recognizing the value of your gift to the kingdom of Christ, you can move out of a mindset of obscurity, into faithfully fulfilling your role, in His Body, for this and each new day.