St. Paul wrote, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 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. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 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.” Romans 12:4-8

Do you know what your role is in the Body of Christ?

Imagine you have a throbbing pain in your tooth? Can you just ignore this pain in your body? Likely not! But how often do we ignore the pain outside of our own small existence?

For many years I worried about the pain caused by poverty in the world. I remember once telling God I didn’t want to think about it because I didn’t know what to do about it. I realize now that we are not as impotent as we think we are…In fact I am convinced that throwing up our hands and saying “But what can I do?” It’s simply not enough!

We can pray for God’s mercy upon those that are suffering. We can give to local food banks to help the hungry. We can sponsor children in the developing world so that they can go to school and receive vital nutrition and healthcare. Maybe we are not the part of the Body of Christ that is on the ground helping the impoverished directly but we can be part of the value chain.  In other words we can through our prayers and our financial gifts and even our volunteer services assist in delivering the aid that is necessary.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31… If we were in need, we would want someone to help us. Just as we wouldn’t ignore that throbbing toothache in our body, I believe we need to become more responsive to the needs of our neighbors. Not every one will have financial gifts to give, some will have gifts of time, all of us can give the gift of prayer. I realize now that I must pray for the whole world, especially those in most need of God’s mercy. If I was most in need of God’s mercy, I would want someone praying for me. Wouldn’t you?