Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from The Athlete Devotional: 40 Days of Spiritual Practice by Kelsey Davis and Claire Brown, which is available today from Nurturing Faith Books, the book publishing arm of Good Faith Media.
Day 1: One Body
“…But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Corinthians 12:24–27 (NIV)
BELONG
I will show up authentically to build up this diverse body of Christ.
GROW
Corinth was a major Greek city known for its diversity and wealth. It was a cosmopolitan hub, drawing people from all over the Roman Empire due to its location. The Christians at Corinth were navigating life in a culture that valued individualism, status, and competition. The Corinthian Christians had become divided from each other and were competing with one another over who was most valuable, and whose gifts were better than others. The Corinthian church was made up of individuals from various walks of life. Instead of honoring each other’s gifts, the members of the church were tearing each other down and not loving one another.
Paul’s response in writing his letter to the Corinthians was to remind them that all gifts come from the Holy Spirit, that all gifts should be used for the common good of the church to demonstrate God’s goodness and love, not for personal glory or elevating one’s status. His message of honoring diversity while remaining unified challenged the Corinthians to not succumb to the cultural norms, but to elevate their care for one another by loving each other as God loved them.
Paul uses the metaphor of the human body to demonstrate how deeply interconnected we all are. We all have different gifts and are in need of one another, just like our bodies are only able to flourish if all parts are working well together. Each part of the body, though different, is necessary, and it is the collective responsibility of believers to work together for the good of the whole, building one another up in mutual respect and concern.
On the field, everyone has a role. If we were all pitchers or goalkeepers, nothing would get done. If we were all outfielders or forwards, the game would fall apart. The same is true for the body of Christ. We are many parts—different in background, tradition, denomination, personality, race, and theology—but one body.
Respecting one another and building each other up offers glory to God.
PRAY
Lord, make us instruments of your peace:
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
God, grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
(adapted: A Prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi)
ACT
We all come from different religious and cultural backgrounds. Spend some time journaling this week on the following questions: What gets in the way of respecting other parts of the body of Christ that may be different than you? Why can it be hard to show respect and love for others who are different from you?
Spend some time this week prayerfully re-thinking what it means to compete. How can you compete while still honoring your competition? What’s one action you can take at your next practice, match, or game to build up someone on your team, and someone on the other team?
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