I Do Need You

Our society celebrates individualism and self-reliance So, the apostle Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church seem very appropriate for us today. Believers in Corinth with visible, or seemingly more important gifts, saw themselves as more valuable than those with less obvious gifts. Some even went so far as to say, “I don’t need you,” to the people who appeared weak.

Yet, God calls believers to be interdependent, not independent.

Paul told the Corinthians, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). To the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5).

These words speak of divine and holy interconnectedness. Simply put, we need each other. Each one of you is a part of Christ’s body. We do not have the same function, but we are all important and necessary to the body's function. Each member belongs to all the others.

Followers of Christ need to depend on each other rather than trying to go it alone. In humility, we must learn not only to give to one another, but also to receive from one another. Self-sufficiency has no place in the church.

Let’s show the world a different way to live. Let us say without shame or fear, “I do need you.”

Holy Spirit, thank you for making me part of your body of believers. You gave me a gift so that I could share it. Teach me how to live an interdependent life with other believers. Amen.

Go Deeper — What keeps you from asking for help from fellow believers? It may be pride, shame, lack of trust, or some other reason. Ask God to show you the reason and teach you how to live an interdependent life with other believers.