“The parts we notice, honor, and praise are the parts that matter the least.”

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Kindle Locations 2228-2229). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Now that doesn’t make sense, does it? If I honor it and praise it and notice it then it must matter the most. Right?

Here is what Larry says, “In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul said that the body of Christ is just like our physical bodies. The parts we notice, honor, and praise are the parts that matter the least.” Check out 1 Corinthians 12: 22-25.

He goes on, “For instance, you’ll never make the cover of a glamour magazine because you have a marvelous liver, kidney, or pancreas. You might make it if you’ve got great hair, beautiful eyes, a fabulous complexion, a body that won’t quit, or killer abs.”

“But none of those are very important to life itself. You can live a long and productive life with a rat’s nest of unmanageable hair, a homely face, and a pear-shaped body. But you won’t survive long with a diseased heart, a poorly functioning liver, or a failing pancreas.” That is true isn’t it?

He then says, “In the same way, the body of Christ can go a long way without the gifts that get most of the glory and without the roles we tend to envy. Just look at the persecuted church. Every time the platformed gifts are forced underground, the church goes on just fine — some would even say better.”

Don’t devalue yourself and who God created you to be and to do. You are important to him.

So what is your gift?

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