“Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:4-5
What if we could all just get along? Having zipped through four decades of pastoring, you can well imagine I’ve seen and met a whole bunch of people. Some went to church and some didn’t. Some had met Jesus and some were still looking. Some were kind and some, well, weren’t. But one thing I learned is that all of them were people that God created and all of them were precious in His sight. Oh, and I learned this, when the ones who had met Jesus came together in unity and harmony, they were a force to be reckoned with.
A while back, my wife Judy and I attended a jazz concert out at our local college. The band was called, “Courtney Cox and the Little Big Band.” They weren’t a big band, only ten members” but they were so good. Their unity and the harmony that brought made them a musical force–yup–to be reckoned with! Check this out.
A few days ago I received a devotion that talked about how a couple of really smart psychologists surveyed different members of eleven major orchestras. They asked how each section of instrumentalists perceived one another…what they thought of one another. Here’s what they found out. The percussionists were viewed as unintelligent but fun-loving, while the string players were seen as arrogant and stuffy. The brass players were described as loud by many, and woodwinds were viewed as quiet, meticulous, and a bit egotistical.
So here’s the big question. With such different perceptions of one another, how were these orchestras able to make such wonderful music? Well, quite simply, they were able to put their biases aside and look to the leadership of the conductor. And when they all did that, they could make beautiful music together as one orchestra. Wow is that powerful or what? No matter how different–each person and each instrument–were necessary to make music.
So husbands and wives, how much stronger could our marriages be if we followed that example? Hey, how much better could our families be if we did the same thing? Not a church person? Ok, how much more profitable could your business be, your sports team be, your community be–if we followed their example? But let’s bring it home to us Jesus followers. How effective could the body of Christ be if we were to follow that model? Instead of infighting about personalities and methods in our churches, what if we put those differences aside and looked together at the great Conductor? The answer is obvious isn’t it?
Here’s an idea. Remember the church is not designed to be a thing where every person is a clone of the other. No, you see the church is a multifaceted diamond. We don’t need carbon copies of you or anybody. Rather, we need to learn to appreciate the beauty in the diversity of the body of Christ and follow Christ together. We need to let everybody be who God created them to be. Like the orchestras above where violins remain violins and trumpets remain trumpets, we too can create beautiful music. But remember this…it doesn’t come from cloning but from Christ and then together we can create something no member could achieve alone. Need a little help? No problem, just keep your eyes on the conductor and remember this…”He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 