Read: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

The manifestation of the
Spirit is given to each
one for the profit of all.
-1 Corinthians 12:7

The Peterson ranch in Wyoming is framed by mile after
mile of fencing. Not only is the entire spread fenced
in. Clyde Peterson has it sub-divided with barbed-wire
so he can move the cattle from section to section. A
single grazing spot may be bordered by as many as 600
fence-posts. Each cedar post is important. If one is
knocked down, the entire herd can escape over the fallen
section.

The same principle holds true in other areas of life.
If one machine breaks down, the whole assembly line
grinds to a halt. If one screw drops out of a
carburetor, the car runs erratically. If a single
microchip fails, an entire computer system may
malfunction.

A local church is no different. Every worker is
vital; the Sunday school teacher, the organist, the
sound-system operator, the nursery worker, the greeter.
If one slacks off, the entire effort suffers.

Are you feeling unimportant – as if you’re just one
more fencepost in a long row? Does it seem that what
you’re doing is hardly worth the effort? Remember what
the apostle Paul wrote: No matter what your capacity,
if you are working for the Lord, it is “for the profit
of all” (1 Cor. 12:7).

As one single fencepost is crucial to the rancher, you
too are important to God – and to the rest of us!
-David C. Egner

We need each other as we serve the Lord,
With all the workers equal to their tasks,
No matter if the jobs are large or small,
For faithfulness is all the Savior asks. -Hess

EVEN THE SMALLEST WORK DONE FOR CHRIST
HAS GREAT VALUE.

OUR DAILY BREAD, Copyright 1998 by Radio Bible Class,
Grand Rapids,Michigan. Used by permission.