Moment in the Word
Tue, 06/08/2021 - 2:52pm
admin
By:
Edwin Woolsey
1 Corinthians 12:21-23 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour.
Who gets to decide the importance of others or make the determination whether another person is feeble or strong? Do I get to make that decision? Do you?
The Bible says, "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." Romans 14:4 St. Paul clearly noted that God is the One that decides who is important or necessary, but even when we are correct in our appraisal of another individual, yet the Heavenly Father can still make that discredited person vital in time by turning their weakness to strength.
This important life lesson was poignantly emphasized to me today through a very ordinary application during a visit to the wonderful people at Jones Eye Center in West Plains.
Concerned with the vision in my right eye, I made an appointment to be checked, suspecting a problem. All my life, I have considered my right eye to be weaker than the other and the one most likely to cause problems. I went into the office prejudiced by the attitude that once again this "weak member" had failed me; however, I was flabbergasted to learn that the right eye was quite normal but the left eye had serious undiagnosed problems. In reality, I discovered that my right eye has been doing all the work to compensate for the injury my left eye received when I was very young. Who could have imagined?
Instantly, I thought of the Scripture, "Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary." 1 Corinthians 12:22 God forbid, but if I should lose the vision in my left eye, what would I do now without my right eye that I have always deemed inferior.
Granted, the story I've used for an example is trivial, but the real-life application is profound. Take a moment and privately think of one person in your life that you see as being weak or labor-intensive to appreciate. Be honest with yourself because no one else sees your heart but God, and then realize that what you judge as weakness in the other person might actually be exhaustion for the weight that they carry every single day while doing their job and the job of someone else too. Who knows, in God's sight you and I might be the dead weight that our "weak person" must bear while we judge them to be of small worth.
I hope this little simplistic story has touched your heart. I know that God touched mine! Always remember to love yourself, along with that other person who you have not yet seen the value of... but the Heavenly Father has.