The Body and the Individual

A boat doesn’t go forward if each one is rowing their own way

~ Swahili proverb

This past week God has been highlighting the crucial necessity to see ourselves not as Christians isolated, but as part of a greater expression; which is the body of Christ.  As Christians we are called to think less about ourselves, and more about the greater body.  Do we believe that?  Are we willing to lay down our own stuff for the sake of others?  We often throw around the term WWJD (what would Jesus do?) to deal with the easy things and not the hard things.  What did Jesus do?

He laid down everything.  He was the Truth, but did not seek his own.  He touched the despised, the sinner, the leper.  He was judged wrongly, but made no attempt to justify himself.  He was royalty but washed the feet of common men.  He died for you and I.

What are we possibly left with?  How can we say, "what about me"?  It's not about you, or I.  It's about Christ and your Brother's and Sisters in Him.  One person can only do so much, even if they're incredibly talented.  However what one individual can accomplish is tiny in comparison to what a team can accomplish.  It's like the Swahili proverb; one can only row so fast for so long before being exhausted.  Jesus said in John 14:12, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." I believe the greater things are those accomplished by the body, not as individuals.  We individually cannot be greater than Christ, but through involvement in His body my little part becomes the momentum for something far greater.