June 29

Have you ever noticed that even if your whole body is healthy, one little insect bite can irritate you? I have a beautiful Areca palm tree in my back yard. I decided that it needed to be cleaned up, and thinned out so it’s beauty could be seen. Even though I was sweating profusely, I finished it. However, I hadn’t noticed that a red ant, or some other biting insect had gotten on me, and proceeded to bite me on my neck. It stung at the time, but I forgot about it until this morning; now I have a welt in that area, that is painful, and itchy. The rest of my body is doing fine, but because this one area is irritated, I need to tend to it to help it heal. The Church, though it is one body, it has many parts, and like the bite on my neck, we must tend to the parts of the Church that are sick, or hurting, so that the whole body is not affected by its absence. The body cannot function without all of its parts. We each play a role in the body parts of the Church, and must tend to those who are hurting. If they go unattended, their part could fester, and cause the whole body to become sick. If you notice a member suffering, whether physically or mentally, do what you can to help them, tend to them to bring about their healing. We need all of our parts to be healthy for the good of the body.

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:26-27