During a rehearsal at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, the renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini offered some constructive criticism to the featured soloist. She was too proud to accept his help, however, and expressed her resentment by exclaiming in anger, "I am the star of this performance!" Toscanini responded wisely and firmly, "Madame, in this performance there are no stars."

The maestro had made a strong point. The soloists, the members of the chorus, and the orchestra all had to work together in harmony or there could be no beautiful music.

This is also true of the church. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he likened the parts of our physical body to individuals in the church, the body of Christ. All of us as believers have our own unique traits and individual duties, but taken together we comprise one body. We must therefore recognize how much we need one another. Paul wrote, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you'" (12:21).

The Lord isn't looking for soloists who want to be stars; He's looking for workers who are willing to be servants. God's work takes teamwork!  —RWD  — Richard De Haan