Whose Glory?

As a bass player, I sometimes think of songs as playgrounds. I know what I must play to keep the song on track, but what else could I play? Where else in the song can I do something fun? It's a game.

When I get feedback (whether self criticism or from others), it's more likely to be "do less" than "do more". The role of the bass is to fill out the low end of the sound. Trying to do more than that and fulfill a different purpose isn't always beneficial. This can be really frustrating, but it reminds me of a section of the bible.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26:

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.


It's all about how the church of Christ is made up of different parts. All the parts are just as important though they may not be as glorified. We all have different means of serving and honoring God. Through whatever ministries we have in our life we can honor God. Sometimes it isn't glamorous, or something that will get a lot of recognition, but it's just as great.

All of this was a reminder to me that I need no glorification in my ministry. If I seek to glorify myself through me deeds that are supposed to honor God, then how much am I really honoring Him? Therefore I will gladly play bass and the other instrument that get little notice (the sound board). I will gladly serve God with that which brings me no glory. After all, I'm not the one worthy of glory and praise.