I’m an insignificant flake in a snow storm! No one will even notice if I were gone. I contribute nothing to the whole and my absence would not even be missed. I’m a drop of water in an endless sea! I’m a ripple in the sands of time. These are just some of the thoughts that run through my mind in dark times. That’s why a good grip on God’s Word is so important. When I find myself thinking such things I remind myself of what Peter taught me in his first letter, chapter 5, verse 7. He says, “…humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.” I also remember Hosea 14:8. In that verse God says to me and you, “I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green.” I love God’s comparison of himself with the evergreen tree. In the summer, what color is it? In the fall, what color is it? In the winter, what color is it? In the spring, what color is it? Just as the evergreen is always green, so too is God’s constant care and concern for us always alive.

God’s care for us often comes from His servants; other people. We see that often in the Bible. When Paul was thrown in prison the warden gave orders to the jailers that “none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.” (Acts 24:23). When you study Paul’s prison epistles, you see that many people came to minister to Paul and to care for his needs. It was well known that God often reaches down and touches our lives through others. Even the Roman soldiers recognized this truth. We see it expressed again in Acts 27, verse 3. Luke writes, “And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.” The Church had its first disagreement in Acts 15. It was resolved at what we know as the Jerusalem Council. Although there were disagreements over some things, there was wonderful agreement on other things. When Paul reported the results of the conference, he said, “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10). Everyone in the universal church recognized the importance of caring for each other. We are all parts of the one body and we all need each other.

God has created each and every one of us for a purpose. That purpose involves taking care of others in the body of Christ. No matter how down we get, or how low we feel, we cannot escape the fact that God made us for a purpose. It’s primarily to focus our attention on the needs of others. When we do that, we find meaning and purpose in our lives again. When Paul concludes his discussion on the various parts of the body being like various members of the church in 1 Corinthians 12:27, he says, “Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.” When we do what God calls us to do, we find our joy will be restored.

Chuck
“God has so composed the body….that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-25