My husband Bob shared with me an amazing analogy the other day. We were talking about why there are so many denominations. And so many different kinds of worship. I thought about music, and how some days I listen to country, some days Christian, some days oldies, some days jazz, etc. But they are all music. But God gave Bob a greater revelation that helped me immensely, and I wanted to share it with you today.
We are all just potato chips.
Yep, potatoe chips. Some of us are plain, some have ridges, some are BBQ, some are salt and vinegar, etc. We may have different flavorings or look differently. We might have ridges, we might not. Some may be Lays or Pringles or Cape Cod – but we are all from the same potato.
And you don’t see the plain chips fighting with the BBQ do you? The Salt and Vinegar chips don’t clobber the Dill Pickle chips when we turn our heads right? And hey, those Pringles, well they’re aren’t ‘real’ potato chips right? I can hear it now – the gossip in the potato chip aisle…
“They don’t look like us.”
“They are all cut up.”
“And they are all stacked together like that, That can’t be right.”
“They aren’t a real chip – they don’t have what we have.”
“Who let them in?”
“They aren’t even in a bag, I mean really!”
“Who said they could be here?”
“You can’t put that seasoning stuff on, you are supposed to be plain.”
“Do you see those ridges?”
See what I mean? But they are all potato chips. They all came from a potato.
One body – many parts. We may be Catholic, Methodist, Apostolic, Lutheran, whatever – but God made us all. Some sing hymns, some contemporary, some read NIV, some read King James. But we are all His kids. He is the Father. He gets to decide who and what and where and how. I don’t give my kids the exact same gift every year. Maybe God likes flavors – idk. I do know I don’t like it when my kids criticize each other, beat each other up, say mean things about others, etc. I want my kids to get along and help each other – despite all the differences they have.
We all have different gifts – and that’s ok. I’m just happy to be on God’s shelf!
Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.
And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served].
And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all. (1 Corinthians 2:4-6 AMP)
Life by the Spirit
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:13-15 NIV)
So my question is – how long will the body keep destroying itself by finding fault with each other? Sounds like a really bad auto-immune disease where your own body destroys itself. Why is it people think that the only people that will be in Heaven will be the ones going to their church? I am glad we don’t get to play Savior. I’m glad Jesus gets to judge – not us.
And thanks to Pastor Jeff too, for reminding us today that we are all members of HIS body, He is God and we are servants, and nobody gets to ‘take over’ anybody.