Belonging

DEVOTION
ROMANS
BELONGING
Rom 12:4-8
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
NIV
It is not an easy thing to belong to someone else, much less to everyone else. This really requires a complete self sacrificing attitude I am not sure I have. There are so many things I want to do. Things I want to spend time on doing my own thing, so to speak, yet here I see I must belong to all the others. This whole concept of being a member of a body of believers and that each one of us belong to the other members is really foreign to the human nature within me. I think that might be the case with many other people as well, even believers. Now that is the rub. How do I belong to them, if they are not belonging to me? If they are not being or doing their part, such I have to do my part? Sometimes I think the whole body has the attitude all these gifts or functions are to be used on the unsaved world and they forget to apply them within the body. I see I am to serve the other members, I know I have the gift of teaching, thus I am suppose to teach the other members of the body. I am to apply my function to the others, is this the way in which I belong? I think that might be it. I am belonging by applying my function within the whole of the body. Does this excuse me from serving those outside the body? I think not. But that is a different devotion for a different time. For Now I must be content to know that I am indeed a part of the member of the body of Christ. This also means He is the head and we all are under the influence of His direction. Do I fail to demonstrate Christ to the world by them seeing me fail to serve the other members of the body? Do they see hypocrisy? Do they hear me say one thing about how I belong, but not doing my part? I pray I do that which God desires me to do