1 Cor. 12: 14-21

For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you."
1 Corinthians 12:12-21

What does this mean? First of all, we all have gifts that we need to contribute to the church; however, this passage has more to say. Each individual person needs everyone in the church. And everyone in the church needs you, and me. I then go on to read in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

I was quite upset that I had to miss our evening service at church this past Sunday. It was not a good reason at all. And I know how much others are missed when I sit in the pew while longing for more people to join in the worship and singing. My husband and I tell our children that we go to church because the Bible says so, but it's more than that. When the "hand" is missing, it affects the feet, the arms, etc... 1 Corinthians 12:14-21 paints a beautiful picture of how the body of the Christ (the church) works. We need each other. We all need to be at church in order to do our role. Missing body parts affect the singing, the offerings, and the fellowship, just to name a few.

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Last night on the way home from baseball games, we witnessed a beautiful display of this verse as we saw an awesome show of lightening. While we watched, we gave glory to God, knowing it's His creation and handiwork. Absolutely amazing. I then read this verse this morning and smiled. The second verse goes on to say, "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge."

Psalm 32:7

You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

When I left home for the first time for college I was miserable. I was lonely and missed my family dearly. As I walked to my classes, childrens' Bible songs would be going through my mind. These songs helped me immensely. They comforted me and reminded me of God's presence. I knew that one day whenever I had children of my own, I'd teach them those songs so that when they found themselves in times of trouble, Bible verses would come to their minds along with those simple tunes.

I did teach them to my children, and still do....Hymns, Psalms, and spiritual songs. I often thank the ladies who lead a sing-along time before our Sunday School hour at church, letting them know how much I appreciate the time they are investing in teaching these songs to the children. And whenever I have nursery duty with the toddlers, I play a dvd with the same songs and sing along during the whole time. The children love it. I hope one day, when they find themselves in times of trouble, these songs will come to mind and surround them with the comfort and knowledge of God's presence.

I still find myself singing a song to ward off any anxiety. It's amazing how much of a stress relief godly music can be.

Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

This passage reminds me to not question things that I don't know. Many times I ask, "Why?" But if God hasn't revealed it, then I shouldn't question it, just accept it. This verse doesn't stop here, though. We have the Bible (I thank God for Mr. Gutenberg and his printing press and for all the people in that era who persevered to have the Bible translated into the languages of the "every day people"). I need to dig into the Bible, God's revealed Word, and learn from it. But it doesn't end there. I need to teach it to my children. And there isn't a stopping point, either. There won't be a day that I know it all or that my children know it all. We have to be diligent in reading the Bible everyday all of our lives.