Romans 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

During a hike through the woods, a troop of Boy Scouts came upon a short stretch of abandoned railroad track. One by one they each tried to walk the rails from one end to the other, but every one of them lost his balance and fell off. Suddenly, two of the boys, after considerable whispering, bet that they could both walk to the end of the rails without falling. The others laughed and challenged them to prove it. The two got on the track, one on each rail, grasped each other’s hand, and started walking. This time they had no trouble keeping their balance and managed to walk the entire length of the track without falling.

God never intended that we walk alone through life’s ups and downs. In Romans 12:4, the Apostle Paul explains this truth by comparing the members of a church to the different parts of the human body. Drawing on this metaphor, Paul says that Christians are each members of the body of Christ — each of us serving a different purpose in keeping the church alive and healthy. But he goes deeper — much deeper: we are also members of each other!

This truth is the foundation for “reciprocal living”. Because I am intimately bonded to all other believers through the person of the Holy Spirit (Who lives inside every Christian), it becomes immediately clear that whatever I do to you — I am really doing to myself!

Paul illustrates this fact in Ephesians 4:25. He instructs us to put away lying and to speak truth always. Why? “For we are members of one another”. If I lie to you — I am lying to me!

Do you sense the bond you share with all Christians? Is your heart tender towards your brothers and sisters who are hurting or in need? They are family… they are part of you because they are part of Him.